


Mars Ascending

by ScarlettSiren



Category: ATEEZ (Band), K-pop
Genre: Accidental Knotting, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Space Opera, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Instincts, Barebacking, Based on the film Jupiter Ascending, Bees, Biting, Bottom Park Seonghwa, Class Differences, Daddy Issues, Hybrids, Immigration & Emigration, Junyoung is a child, Knotting, M/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Misunderstandings, Non-graphic death, Parent Death, Reincarnation, Rimming, Royalty, Scent Kink, Scenting, Seonghwa will be called Your Majesty and he will learn to Like It, Sexual Harassment, Smut, Top Kim Hongjoong, Who Doesn't Love Dogs?, Wing Kink, casual references to mass genocide, the evils of capitalism, very brief reference to breeding, very minor Bloodplay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:14:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22767571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarlettSiren/pseuds/ScarlettSiren
Summary: Seonghwa is an orphan of immigrants, trying desperately to belong in a country that has never felt like home. He has nothing to his own name—not even any real sense of identity—and has no prospects for what his future may hold.That is until, one day, Seonghwa’s entire world is shifted off its axis. He learns that not only are aliens real, but that several of them are trying to kill him. He is rescued by Hongjoong, an intergalactic bounty hunter who believes Seonghwa is something far greater than either of them could have imagined.
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 110
Kudos: 283
Collections: The K-Pop Storybook





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Was I the only person who actually liked this movie?? Like, I recognize everything that was wrong with it, yes, but I still liked it. It’s actually one of my favorite films kinda?? Anyway, with Seonghwa’s nickname being Mars, I had to do this. Some names of things are kept the same as in the film, but others I gave original names. I tried to do as many original names as possible so it wasn't a total carbon copy of the film, and there's a lot of added scenes/shuffled plot points.

A beautiful planet sat desolate and silent on the fringes of the Aurora system, millions of light-years from earth.

What were once bustling metropolises and superhighways now lay dormant, entirely devoid of human life. The wind whistling as it caressed empty buildings, towering bridges and abandoned vehicles was the only sound to be heard. 

A man and a woman stood at the center of an empty town square, casually taking in the scenery. Scattered papers, picked up by the wind, floated past—and through—them, as though the figures were not truly there.

Or perhaps it was that the planet’s state was being projected to them, from however far it was.

“Do you know the name of this planet, Kai?” Asked the woman, her gaze lighting upon a bag of groceries spilled out onto the street. They still looked fresh.

“I do not.” The man answered, appearing unconcerned. “It wasn’t one of my holdings, of course… and I am hardly one to snoop through our sister’s sheaves.”

“Mm, nor am I.” The woman replied. Her eyes fell upon a discarded doll, then, and her expression grew somewhat melancholy. “Have you ever witnessed a harvest?”

“In progress? No, never.” Kai told her. “It’s all very humane, though, Chungha. You know that.”

“Yes, of course I _know_ that, but regardless, I often wonder…” She responded softly, looking down. The lines and wrinkles upon her face spoke to many years of such thoughts, and Kai could sense it.

“Developing some of our late father’s guilt, sister?” Kai asked, his tone light and teasing. “You’ve certainly taken after his fetish for wrinkles.”

He shivered dramatically, as though the idea disgusted him. Kai himself was the picture of youth: he appeared not a day over twenty-five, his skin flawless and sunkissed to a warm brown hue that suited his features.

“Quiet, you.” She hissed, her vermillion-painted mouth curling into a frown. “It’s just that I… understand why he may have harbored that sort of guilt. Looking at all this, it makes me wonder if he’d simply developed a conscience.”

“You worry too much.” Kai insisted. “There are martials and regulations and overseers to ensure everything is handled according to code. I’m told they feel no pain, that it’s over before they even understand what is happening.”

“Most of them are miserable in their lives.” Came another voice.

The two siblings turned to see their eldest sister phase into the hologram display, looking a bit harried. She hardly glanced around before regarding the both of them.

“What we do for them could be considered an act of mercy.”

“Hwasa. Lovely of you to join us, sister.” Kai said cordially. “We were just admiring the ledger from your latest success. Beautiful work.”

“Mm, yes, the House of Aris continues to thrive despite your squandering of your own inheritance, brother.” Hwasa responded coldly.

Kai’s lips twitched in amusement, but he largely managed to keep his expression neutral. “And you seem a bit distressed. Perhaps success doesn’t agree with you?”

“You, however, appear bright and refreshed. Failure must agree with you.” Hwasa snapped back, her tone as calm as ever.

“It’s quite clear that Hwasa inherited our father’s mind for business.” Chungha cut in, attempting to alleviate the tension.

“And surely you inherited his heart.” Kai said with a genial grin, inclining his head toward her. “But what does that leave _me_ with?”

“His dashing good looks, of course.” Chungha replied with a smirk. The two shared a laugh, but Hwasa’s grimace did not budge.

“If you two are going to continue eulogizing, I have more important things to attend to—”

“Actually, there was one matter of business I did wish to bring up.” Kai spoke up, his expression growing somber. “I had glanced over the sheaves I inherited recently, and I was wondering whatever became of a certain planet our father was quite fond of. I believe he called it… earth?”

Hwasa’s expression grew dark. “What of it, brother?”

“Ah, I was only curious whose inheritance it was, and what became of it.” Kai explained. “Father wrote a rather moving description of it in his ledger, and I got to wondering about it, was all.”

“The earth was a part of my inheritance, yes.” Hwasa answered coldly. “Father left it in my hands for a reason. Earth is one of the greatest successes of planet-seeding the industry has ever seen. When it is ready for harvest, it is expected to surpass profits from the last several millennia.”

“Oh. I see. Then I suppose my asking you to part with it would be out of the question.” Kai laughed, shaking his head. “Nevermind, then.”

Hwasa eyed him for a moment before her gaze strayed to her sister. “Chungha.”

She inclined her head cordially, ignoring Kai completely as she turned on her heel and walked away, her form eventually fading out of existence when she raised a hand to the device beneath her ear.

The planet around her bled away to reveal the interior of an elegant spacecraft. On the far wall before her, windows reached from floor to ceiling, revealing Mars hovering in the peripherals of the ship’s range of vision.

“My lady! My lady!”

Hwasa scowled at the intrusion, turning to see her assistant scampering to her side.

“Yes, what is it, Wheein?”

Wheein was a mousy girl, which was not surprising, given that she was a mouse hybrid. A splice created to serve Nobility, she had worked for the House of Aris for centuries.

“News from your Watchers.” She tittered, almost seeming excited. “We’ve verified a recurrence.”

Hwasa rounded on her, expression terrifying judging by the way the small girl cowered away, ducking her head. “You’re certain it is him?”

“Y-yes, my lady. The gene print has been verified! T-twice.”

“Where?” She snarled, but by the look in her eyes, she already knew what her answer would be.

“Earth.” Wheein confirmed.

Hwasa let out a scoff. “Of course. Kai must have known. Why else would he have brought up the planet? He is already one step ahead of me…”

The idea seemed to disgust her, given the way her mouth twisted up into a grimace. After a moment, she collected herself, shaking off her irritation.

“Very well. Give the order.” Hwasa said, her tone hard. “I want him dead before we reach the refinery on Jupiter.”

“Y-yes, my lady.” Wheein said with a bow before skittering from the room.

Hwasa’s gaze strayed toward the bay windows of her ship, which looked out upon the vastness of space as they cruised through the Milky Way. Mars was still just barely within her sight… nothing but a hunk of uninhabited rock according to the ignorant humans of earth.

This recurrence, whoever he was, would not even know the rich history of their namesake planet—or any other, for that matter—given that he was from an underdeveloped society. Earthlings had reached for the stars, grasped at the idea of life outside their little blue sphere, but had never managed to make contact, to find real evidence. In their ignorance and hubris, they still believed they were alone in the universe.

It was almost a little sad to Hwasa that this man would die without knowing the truth. How pathetic a life to lead, she thought… trapped inside a bubble of ignorance and obscurity.

But that was the way of the universe. There were those at the top; Nobility, like her, who served a greater purpose within the Intergalactic Commonwealth. And there were those like the people of earth, who led a meaningless, insignificant existence, merely livestock in an endless field, bred and grown for consumption.

This earthling could not be permitted to crawl out from underneath that pitiful predestined fate, to take that which had been bequeathed to her, simply because he wore her father’s skin.

Hwasa of House Aris would not allow it.


	2. One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I only gave you a small taste before, but we’re jumping right in now! Small TW this chapter for references to being an undocumented immigrant and the fear/stigma that comes along with that. The narrative is very adamantly clear that people should not be considered “illegal”, though, and no legal action is taken in regard to the immigration status at all through the story.

Seonghwa was, by many accounts, an alien. And, according to the guidelines and laws set forth by the United States government…he was an illegal one.

Just before he was born, Seonghwa’s mother had left her home of South Korea to seek a better life for herself after the murder of her husband in a random act of financially-motivated violence. Seonghwa never got to meet his father, a passionate dreamer and brilliant astrologer, because someone with a knife felt that his life was worth less than the amount of money in his wallet.

Seonghwa’s mother had family in New York City, and so, heavily pregnant and due any day, she left with her sister as an unregistered passenger on a cargo ship heading for the United States.

Somewhere in the middle of the pacific ocean, Seonghwa was born. Without a country, without a home of his own…he was brought into this world without anywhere to belong. He was born in the house of Aries, with Mars twenty-two degrees ascendant. His name, his mother told him, meant ‘to become a star’, and in their native language, was the name of the planet Mars in reverse.

Mars, a planet his father had hoped we would one day step foot upon as humans. He had hoped he would have lived to see it.

Seonghwa’s mother would not live to see it, either.

After arriving in the United States and traveling cross-country to reach their family in New York, things were fine, for a time. Seonghwa grew up being homeschooled, kept away from much of the world. He was raised with a stringent set of rules to follow, and warned of the danger of breaking them.

_ We are illegal.  _ His mother had told him, over and over and over again. If anyone found out that they were not residing in the country legally, they would be deported. Seonghwa knew only the most basic amount of Korean…he didn’t know what he would do if he were sent back to a country he’d never even seen.

He couldn’t imagine how any human being could be considered  _ illegal. _

But, he followed the rules.

He made few friends, usually at the playground near his house. The children who were not Korean or Asian always seemed to struggle with his name, pronouncing it “See-ong-WAHH” with an emphasis on making it sound as though they were whining there at the end. Eventually, he just told them to call him “Mars”.

Eventually, he made friends with two Korean boys who moved into his neighborhood when he was twelve. Their names with Yunho and Mingi and they never called him Mars or mispronounced his name. They thought it was cool that Seonghwa’s family lived above their own restaurant, just like people did in the movies. The three boys remained friends while two of them attended college, Seonghwa still working for his family’s restaurant in Flushing, as he’d done since he was young. Higher education wasn’t in the cards for him… not without risking revealing his own immigration status, or that of his family. His uncle, who owned the restaurant, was in the country legally and handled all the finances and official paperwork. The rest of them… they weren’t documented, and worked under the table.

Seonghwa never told Mingi and Yunho, not for years. Not even during college after they came out and told him they were dating as a couple, wary on whether or not he would react badly. It was so clear that they were baring their souls to him, begging him to accept them, and he could not imagine doing anything less than continuing to love them with his entire heart.

But he still couldn’t tell them the truth. He couldn’t confide in anyone.

They graduated college. Both of them managed to get decent jobs thanks to a family connection and moved into a nice apartment in Queens, close enough that Seonghwa still saw them almost every day. There were even times when he would steal away to their place to sleep somewhere that didn’t smell entirely of sesame oil, soy sauce and Korean beef, somewhere he didn’t have to deal with his younger cousins yelling at their gaming consoles all night. They never spurned him.

They would travel, and tell Seonghwa all about it. He would listen and wistfully imagine being able to visit faraway places, knowing that it was a pipe dream for him. No legitimate legal documents, no crossing borders. Even if he managed to leave, there was a good chance he’d never manage to come back. It was too great a risk.

Yunho and Mingi, the kind souls that they were, often invited him along. Seonghwa would just make up excuses that he was needed at the restaurant, that his family would never allow it, that he had to be a good son. The greatest act of rebellion he let them talk him into was bleaching his hair. He kept it like that for years, and it felt like a way to create his own sense of identity for himself, at least for a little while. Things were fine. They were how they’d always been. Rote.

Then, everything changed. Seonghwa had just turned twenty-three when his entire world came crashing down around him.

He had been out late the night it happened. He just needed to be away from home, away from all the noise and the  _ smell  _ and the cramped room he shared with his two cousins. Yunho and Mingi were turning in early, so he went out by himself. Maybe he got a little drunk. Maybe he flirted with strangers, maybe he made questionable decisions…it was well into the morning by the time he made it back to his street; nearly four a.m. He was still feeling the afterglow of a fun night out, the din of the city seeming so distant to him. But it grew louder as he drew closer to home…a cacophony of noise that wasn’t common for his relatively quiet street, especially this time of night.

He turned the corner onto his block to see his family’s restaurant and home engulfed in flames.

There were people everywhere—shouting, screaming, sirens blaring and lights flashing. The fire department had already arrived, and paramedics, hoses spraying in an arc over the street in an attempt to control the blaze. Seonghwa, unthinking, pushed past the line of pedestrians and broke the police blockade, running toward the building. People were shouting after him, but he didn’t hear them.

He stopped dead in his tracks, watching as paramedics wheeled a gurney away with a black bag nestled on top.

There were identical black bags lined up along the sidewalk…six more of them.

“We pulled them all out but not one survived—” He heard one of the paramedics say, and the other shook his head regretfully.

“No…no no no, it can’t—no…” Seonghwa felt numb, but also like he couldn’t breathe. The heat of the fire was intense from where he was standing, smoke ebbing into his lungs and choking him. His chest felt tight. He couldn’t  _ breathe— _

“Hey, kid! You can’t be here!” The shouts that had followed him through the blockade finally caught up, someone grabbing him by his shoulders.

Seonghwa was whirled around, and all the bluster seemed to drain out of the officer who’d caught hold of him when he saw his tear-streaked face, his broken expression.

“F-family…my… my family?” Seonghwa blubbered, his voice breaking as he staggered on his feet.

“Hey, easy, it’s okay…what’s your name, kid?” The officer asked, and Seonghwa froze. His mother’s voice replayed in his head, over and over again, the same mantra. For days. For years. One of their rules....their many, stringent rules.

_ Don’t talk to the police. Never talk to the police. _

Seonghwa shook as he stared at the officer’s badge. The numbers bled together as though he were looking at foreign script, reading but not comprehending.

He broke from the officer’s grasp, and he ran.

He and a few other officers made chase, just some of them… but he was able to slip them easily enough. Once he was far enough away and certain he wasn’t being followed, he dipped into one of the subway stations and took the seven train toward Queens. There wasn’t much of a police presence in the stations at that time of night—or rather, morning—so he managed not to run into any trouble.

He was sure he looked like death when he knocked on Yunho and Mingi’s door, nearly five in the morning by the time he got there. Mingi answered, wrapped up in a robe and looking like he’d just been raised from the dead himself.

“Seonghwa? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Seonghwa thought he may have tried to explain himself, but all that came out was a strangled whine as he collapsed into Mingi’s chest, sobbing.

“Uh…Yunho? Yunho, wake up!”

Mingi all but carried Seonghwa to the couch, leaving him for a moment to get Seonghwa some water and to wake his boyfriend.

Yunho was a heavy sleeper, and it was some minutes later that he finally came out of their room, looking concerned when he saw the glass of water shaking in Seonghwa’s grip. He sat next to him on the couch, taking the glass from him and setting it on the coffee table before wrapping Seonghwa’s hands up in his own.

“Tell me what happened.”

Seonghwa broke again. He blubbered and cried as he explained what he’d come home to find—the restaurant,  _ his home,  _ burned beyond repair, his  _ entire  _ family, dead. His mother, his aunts and uncle, his cousins…all of them, gone. He choked a little, his lungs still stinging from the smoke he’d inhaled, and he gulped down some of the water shakily before setting the glass back down again.

Mingi was standing halfway to the kitchen, pacing nervously. He didn’t do well with grief or heavy situations and this was no exception. Yunho was not exactly calm, but he was  _ calmer,  _ squeezing Seonghwa’s hands in between his own again.

“We should take you to a hospital, and the police, they’ll—”

“I can’t! I can’t go… I can’t talk to  _ any  _ of them!” Seonghwa cried, terrified. His heart felt like it would beat out of his chest, the way it was slamming hard and fast against his ribcage.

Mingi had grabbed his phone, likely to call someone, and Seonghwa jumped up, slapping it out of his hands.

“No, you  _ can’t!” _

Yunho sighed, rubbing his shoulders and making him sit down again. “Seonghwa, you’re injured, you’re not thinking straight. I know how you feel about cops, but—”

“I’m  _ illegal!”  _ Seonghwa sobbed, the word leaving his mouth like it was some horrid, awful thing.

He’d never told anyone. Not a single soul.

No one outside his family knew, until now.

Mingi stared, wide-eyed, but immediately picked up his phone, making a show of setting it aside. Yunho released Seonghwa’s shoulders, his hands coming up to cup his cheeks and wipe at the tears that were already spilling over.

“Okay. Okay…” Yunho shared a look with Mingi, the two of them holding a silent conversation.

Seonghwa just shook, wheezing a little as he struggled to breathe.

“No, shh, it’s all right. Listen, Seonghwa. _ Listen.” _ Yunho hissed, holding his face until Seonghwa looked him in the eyes. There was a fierce determination in his gaze, underpinned with deep, unconditional love. “Human beings aren’t illegal. I don’t care what…what our shitty government says, okay? You live with us now. We won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”

Seonghwa’s face crumpled as he cried, like he was finally allowed to feel grief.

Yunho held him, Mingi held them both, and they all sat on the couch together and sobbed until they’d fallen asleep, entangled.

That had been six months ago.

Now, Seonghwa lived with Mingi and Yunho full-time. They had meant every word of what they’d said, taking him in no questions asked.

He’d told them everything, anyway. They had earned the right to know.

Their apartment was technically a two-bedroom, but the second room was a glorified closet that had been converted to be played off as an “office” or “bonus room” to drive up the cost of the rent. Yunho and Mingi had gotten him a single to put in there, and a small nightstand. That was about all there was room for, but Seonghwa didn’t have anything to his name when he moved in. The guys gave him some old clothing of theirs, and even got him a few new things when their paychecks allowed. He also dyed his hair back to black immediately after the incident and kept it that way, just in case the police were still looking for that platinum-blond boy who’d run away from them that night. Once the fire was ruled accidental, the result of something going wrong in the restaurant’s kitchen, they weren’t seeking him as a suspect, and interest in finding him died off. No one in their neighborhood said a word about him, many of them being undocumented themselves, and that was that. It was like he’d never existed.

It became increasingly obvious to Seonghwa, in the months following his moving in with Yunho and Mingi, that he would need to find a way to make some sort of income. However, he would have to do it in a way that would not require official documents of any kind. He had a fake I.D. made for himself with Yunho’s information but his own picture (with Yunho’s permission), in case of emergencies only. As it stood, he had to find ways to make money under the table, so he mostly took odd jobs around their neighborhood or in the surrounding boroughs.

He managed to get a few modeling gigs, but the more he moved up in that world, the more he had to be willing to sign legal paperwork. He couldn’t risk it…and he was unwilling to assume someone else’s identity entirely, so he had to cut that potential career path short. He built a little following for himself on Instagram and made some money with an OnlyFans account, but it wasn’t a lot. And then one day, he received a targeted ad on his Instagram for a research study at a medical clinic located downtown. He hadn’t looked into that kind of thing before, but it was something he knew people could make extra money from if they were candidates for a study. Seonghwa figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

Seonghwa had never really been to a doctor before. All of his minor—and sometimes not so minor—injuries had always been handled at the kitchen table, either by his uncle or his aunt. The trial didn’t ask a lot about him in the legal sense; they only asked for his I.D. as a formality, but they did all sorts of tests on him, drew his blood, ran drug tests and the like. He ended up qualifying for at least one study, so he was sent home with orders to return the next day for more information.

He had a lot of fun regaling his experience to Yunho and Mingi that night over dinner. He’d gotten into the habit of cooking for everyone since moving in, which kept their food budget lower than constantly ordering take-out. Seonghwa figured it was the least he could do, since he hardly paid anything toward rent or even his own food. He also kept the place immaculately clean, which had unsettled Mingi at first…but he grew used to all his things being organized, eventually.

Yunho was adamantly opposed, in the beginning, feeling like Seonghwa believed he had to be some kind of live-in housekeeper for them to earn his place. But once Seonghwa explained that he actually enjoyed cleaning, that it was calming for him, Yunho warmed up to the idea. Now, it was just the way things were.

“They had to stick me in  _ both  _ arms before they could find a good vein. Apparently mine are finicky.” Seonghwa explained, showing off the bandaids at the inner crooks of his elbows. “So now I have bruises for days and look like I’ve been up to something I shouldn’t be.”

“Or donating a ton of blood.” Mingi teased around a mouthful of vegetables. “If anyone asks, just say you went to a blood bank and they turned out to be greedy vampires.”

“No one’s gonna ask. You’re like, my only friends. Better to have a small inner circle, given the circumstances.” Seonghwa reminded him with a laugh. “Besides, none of us can even go to a blood bank, remember?”

He made a motion with his fist against his mouth, poking the inside of his own cheek with his tongue to mimic sucking dick.

Yunho frowned. “Man, this country really hates us, huh? If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”

“I don’t know, Seonghwa, they might let you.” Mingi drawled, smirking. “When’s the last time you got laid?”

Seonghwa leered, sticking his tongue out. “I don’t know…Yunho, when’s the last time you let me raw you, baby?”

Both of them balked, then, Yunho in shock and Mingi in offense.

“Hey—”

“We’ve never—”

Seonghwa laughed, doubling over onto the table. “Oh my god, I’m kidding. I’d never do anything to come between you two. You know, unless I was actually  _ coming  _ between you two, but, I understand wanting to stay monogamous. I’d never threaten a good thing.”

“Now—wait a second…” Yunho sputtered, his brain still catching up. “What?”

“Joke, Yunho, I’m joking.” Seonghwa cooed, turning to Mingi and patting the other man’s chin. “Get your jaw up off the floor. I’ve never fucked your boyfriend, or tried to. I’m teasing. I love you both more than life itself.”

He stood, dropping a kiss to both their foreheads before taking up the dishes.

“I’m going back to that clinic tomorrow. They just ran the first few preliminary tests today and gave me like fifty bucks on a gift card for my trouble, but if I get accepted into a trial it’s a hundred or more per visit. I figure it’ll cover groceries for a good bit.”

“Right…well…if they want you to take any weird meds, maybe…don’t.” Mingi said. “They could make you grow horns or boobs or something.”

“Seonghwa…with boobs…” Yunho mumbled, seemingly lost on that particular thought.

“I didn’t sign up for anything too wacky. Hey!” Seonghwa swatted the back of Yunho’s head with the dish towel. “Stop imagining me with boobs.”

“Uh—sorry. But yeah, Mingi’s right.” Yunho agreed. “Don’t agree to any intensive psychotropic drugs just for a couple hundred bucks. We aren’t gonna starve if you don’t do it.”

“You guys worry too much.” Seonghwa replied, brushing them off. “I promise it’s not a big deal. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Yunho and Mingi shared a doubtful look, but didn’t push the subject.

***

Three shadowy figures stood unseen upon the roof just next to the KQ Trials building downtown, watching the alley for any sign of movement. Other than a stray cat, there had been nothing worth noting thus far. Not entirely surprising, since it was the middle of the night.

“You’re sure this guy’s gonna show, Wooyoung?” Asked one of them. He was a startlingly handsome human with half his hair pulled back into a short ponytail, a bright blue streak coloring one portion of his bangs. “Seems like a long-shot.”

“Lady Chungha said there’s at least one more bounty hunter after the mark, aside from Hwasa’s Watchers who found him here.” Replied the second, a human of similar height with pale purple hair and an equally handsome face. “If someone’s tracking him, they’ll come here.”

“And if he doesn’t…we’ll just be out a full night’s sleep for nothing.” Complained the third man in a somewhat annoyed tone. “I agree with San that this seems to be a bit of a long-shot.”

“Even  _ you  _ don’t trust me on this, Yeosang? Ouch.” Wooyoung grumbled, rubbing at his nose. “I’m telling you, he’ll come.”

“Well, let’s just hope you’re right.” San muttered, moving to the other side of the roof to scope out the surrounding block.

Another hour passed before anything happened. Then, there were footsteps from the mouth of the alley. The three bounty hunters quietly scrambled over to the ledge to watch.

The man was somewhat short, but afforded a small boost of height by his heavy boots, which clinked like spurs with every step he took. He was dressed entirely in black, a long leather jacket covering most of his form. The sleeve on the left arm, however, was cropped to the elbow to accomodate a thick, fingerless glove and gauntlet that was strapped to his forearm. His hair was a deep, almost metallic blue, and there was at least one visible scar on his face; a gash through his right brow.

“Told you.” Wooyoung hissed, earning an eye-roll from Yeosang.

Yeosang tapped the side of his glasses, HUD flaring to life and giving him a readout on the man. “He’s a Lycan…wolf hybrid. Kind of small for one, though.”

“Huh. He’s ex-Corps. And he used to be a Halo.” San murmured, his attention entirely on the newcomer.

Yeosang’s brow furrowed. “How can you tell?”

San tossed his head toward the man. “The boots.”

The three of them watched as the stranger placed a triangular device onto the door of the clinic. It began to spin rapidly, opening a portal through it to the other side without damaging it. It was a rather common—but expensive—piece of tech, usually only widely available to the military. The man stepped through, allowing it to close behind him. 

Yeosang’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I heard rumors about a soldier, a year or so back. He was a legend in the Corps. They said he could track a single gene across the gyre…that once he had a scent, he could find  _ anyone.” _

“Well, whoever he is… he’s after our bounty.” Wooyoung grumbled. “So he’s a liability.”

San nodded, and the three of them retrieved their weapons before they moved into position, two of them heading into the alley while San remained on the roof.

Through the window, they could see the man work. He sifted through the file cabinets until he found the one he was looking for, opening it and scenting it slowly.

They had to stop him here and now, or else he’d be able to track their bounty across the continent now that he had the scent.

The stranger didn’t give them much of a chance, however.

Seconds later, he came bursting through the door, weapon drawn and—judging by the way he was gliding through the air with ease—fancy grav boots of his activated.

Shots rang out, the air sizzling in the intense heat of the laser fire. The gauntlet on the stranger’s arm flared to life, projecting an energy shield that pulsed brightly and threw off sparks when deflecting the shots. It was large enough that it covered him almost entirely when he ducked behind it, allowing him to remain mostly behind cover as he returned fire.

Once the hunter crossed the alley, he kicked himself up onto the wall and bounded for the opposite side, lunging like some kind of predator animal as he snagged the fire escape, using the criss-crossing network of metal to break their clear line of sight on him.

San took the opportunity to activate the mounted gun he’d set up on the roof, bracing himself and firing upon the other bounty hunter. The lasers were more powerful than anything they could shoot from their handheld weapons, and blasted through the metal stairs with ease, melting it away everywhere it touched. The stranger bounded from the fire escape, holding up his energy shield for cover and taking aim. But not at San.

San was too far away. It was dark, he was behind the weapon and the ledge of the roof. It wasn’t a clean shot.

But he had a clean shot on the other two.

San realized it just in time, swiveling his aim upward, toward the top of the hunter’s shield. The force of the blast sent him slightly off his trajectory, and what may have been a fatal shot from his blaster missed the mark, searing into Yeosang’s shoulder.

He dropped to the ground with a yelp of pain, Wooyoung diving for him with a shout of his name. The stranger didn’t even take the opportunity to eliminate them, just landed against the opposite building and surfed through the air, down toward the mouth of the alley and away from the firefight.

San hissed in frustration, dropping his grip on the mounted gun and heading down from the roof to check on his partners. He could do nothing but watch as the man skirted along the buildings, gliding away on those special boots of his. Their Lady would surely be none too pleased that they had allowed him to escape, but nothing could be done of it.

“Is he all right?” He asked as he reached the two of them.

“M’fine, you shoulda gone after him.” Yeosang grunted, clutching beneath the badly-singed skin of his bicep.

“No. There’s too many pieces on this chess board now. Things are gonna get out of hand.” Wooyoung said, pulling Yeosang to his feet. The man cried out in pain as his arm was hoisted over his partner’s shoulder, the other holding hip up by his waist. “I don’t think this guy is here to kill our mark. Why would someone send another assassin when it’s already clear Hwasa wants the mark dead? No…he’s here to lift him.”

“Lift him? For who?” Yeosang balked.

“Best guess? Kai Aris.” Wooyoung replied bitterly. “I think  _ all three  _ House Aris primary heirs are involved now.”

“Stars, what a mess.” Yeosang hissed.

“Then what do you suggest?” Wooyoung asked.

San sighed, crossing his arms. “I say we lay low and get Yeosang healed up, then get back into the fray once the other two parties are done duking it out.”

“What if the Watchers end up killing the mark?” Yeosang reasoned. “Then we’ve betrayed Lady Chungha’s orders.”

“I don’t think we’ll have to worry about it.” San quipped back with an amused snort. “That guy didn’t even break a sweat fighting three-on-one against us. It'll be no contest against Hwasa’s lackeys.”

“I agree with San.” Wooyoung murmured softly, taking stock of Yeosang’s condition. “We should lay low until the dust settles, then grab the mark when the time is right.”

Yeosang frowned, but he was in no condition to argue, and so, he acquiesced.

***

Sitting in one of the tiny treatment rooms in the KQ Trials building surrounded by a number of beeping devices and scarily stoic nurses, Seonghwa was starting to wonder if maybe Yunho and Mingi had been right to warn him to be wary of what the clinic might give him.

Everything had gone fine during the first half of the appointment. They took his samples like before, had him fill out some more surveys, the usual. But then they’d called him into this little room at the very back of the clinic building and sat him in a creaky metal chair. Three nurses crammed into the room with him, which seemed like overkill.

“You’ve been cleared for a trial, but we need to measure your lung strength first.” One of the nurses said, not even waiting for him to give the okay before they strapped a respirator to his face.

Seonghwa swallowed his nerves, breathing in the scent of sterile oxygen. Maybe he was being silly. It wasn’t like he really knew much about doctors, or these kinds of clinics. Maybe this was totally normal.

When the nurses snapped a weird metal device to each of his wrists, he was pretty sure  _ that  _ wasn’t totally normal.

When those devices powered up and he felt himself lifted from the chair, floating as if gravity had been turned off around him, he was  _ certain  _ there was cause for alarm, since there was  _ nothing  _ normal about that at  _ all. _

“What’s going on? What is this?” Seonghwa asked nervously, trying to break free of the things on his wrists. All that did was twist him around midair. It was like he was floating in water.

“Verify the gene print.” The first nurse said to the second, who nodded and shoved a strange, gun-like device against Seonghwa’s arm.

“Hey, answer me! What do you mean, verify what—?”

A beep from the device cut Seonghwa off. The second nurse nodded, her eyes going black to the scleras.

The first nurse’s eyes had also gone eerily dark as he looked back to Seonghwa. “Good. Kill him.”

“Wh-what?” Seonghwa yelped, trying to pull free of the restraints again to no avail. He was left flailing helplessly as the second nurse moved to the oxygen generator and dropped all of the output levels to zero.

Seonghwa wheezed for air, but the respirator around his nose and mouth were sealed tightly, not allowing any outside oxygen in. He tried to grab for something, for anything, but he was floating just out of reach of the nurses, whose eyes were now staring at him black and lifeless like great, hollow pits within their faces.

They looked…inhuman.

Suddenly, the door burst open and the nurses seemed to scatter. Shots rang out and Seonghwa saw one of them hit the ground, but when he looked, the human form that he’d seen just seconds before had broken away like a pixelated image, leaving some horrifyingly inhuman thing lying in a black-blooded heap upon the floor.

He let out a soft cry of distress that was mostly muffled by the respirator, whimpering as he tried and failed once more to breathe.

Things were beginning to go dark and hazy at the edges of his vision. Seonghwa was certain he had to be hallucinating.

The man who had burst into the room was a flurry of movement, black trenchcoat fluttering as he seemed to glide through the air like he was skating across the walls. The remaining two nurses dropped the human glamours they had adopted, revealing that same hideous form as the other one. They were small, no larger than a child, with gangly limbs and bulbous heads. One skittered up the wall and returned fire on the stranger, but he was too fast, twisting elegantly through the air before taking aim. He did not miss his mark.

Seonghwa was barely clinging on by the time the final creature was dispatched. The next thing he knew, the devices on his wrists were being deactivated and the stranger scooped him up out of the air, ripping the respirator off of his face.

Seonghwa gasped for air, the sudden flood of oxygen making him dizzy.

“Are you all right?” The man asked, his expression betraying true concern.

Seonghwa’s gaze deliriously raked over the stranger’s face. He was handsome, but in a sharp, pretty sort of way, with an elegant nose and intense eyes rimmed with dark kohl. His hair was deep blue, cropped close on the sides but left longer on the top, pushed back from his face. Seonghwa wasn’t sure if he was still hallucinating, but even up close, it looked like the man had pointed ears, fanged lower canines and a few scars, including a gash across his eyebrow and some kind of brand burned into his neck.

“Wh-who are you?” Seonghwa managed to slur weakly.

“My name is Hongjoong, I’m here to rescue you.”

Seonghwa might have nodded in response, and though a thousand more questions surged anew in his mind, his vision was starting to go fuzzy.

He barely let out a nonsensical grunt before his lashes fluttered, his head rolled back, and everything went blissfully dark.


	3. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s actually super easy to write something that’s already written for you?? I mean, I’m changing things, but my brain doesn’t have to come up with every single thing so it’s easier to crank out more content. So, hopefully that means I’ll get this out to you pretty quick.

When Seonghwa came to, it wasn’t all at once.

The sounds of the city began to filter into his conscious awareness, but they felt so far away. Eventually, he became aware of his surroundings…the smell of construction dust, the sting of cold concrete beneath him, and some strange beeping sound coming from across the room.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the man from the clinic. Hongjoong, he recalled him introducing himself as. Everything he remembered about him remained: all those strange features he thought he’d surely had to have imagined, but there they were, right in front of him. The pointed ears, the blue hair, that stark brand burned into the back of his neck…everything.

When Seonghwa sat up, it drew the man’s attention. He stopped whatever he was doing—it looked like he was fiddling with some large mechanical device on the table in front of him—and turned to face him. His eyes trailed to the floor between them, where a strange-looking gun had been placed next to Seonghwa. It looked like the one the man had used to kill those things at the clinic. Seonghwa swallowed, his gaze tracking from the gun up to the man.

“Ah, you’re awake.” He eyed the gun again, no malice or concern on his face. “I thought it might make you more comfortable if I gave you that. You’ve been out for hours.”

“Wh-where am I?” Seonghwa asked, backing himself up to the wall and glancing around warily. He didn’t take the gun, which the other man seemed to regard him curiously for.

“We’re in Manhattan. It’s a lot easier to get an extraction from a tall building, so we’re about a hundred and thirty floors up. This building is still under construction, so the upper floors are mostly empty, lucky for us.”

“Right. Lucky.” Seonghwa murmured, looking away.

“Listen, Seonghwa…it’s Seonghwa, right? Your paperwork at the clinic had a different name on it, but I saw on your phone—”

“You went through my phone?” Seonghwa asked breathlessly.

Hongjoong cringed. “Yeah, I’m just trying to figure everything out here. That clinic, their tests must have tripped the monitor for your gene print, they’d just linked it to the wrong name.”

Seonghwa swallowed. “I’m not the only person to ever use a fake I.D. at that place, it’s not so uncommon—but what does that have to do with what happened back there?”

“Okay…when I was in the Corps we had protocols for this…uh…so.” Hongjoong approached slowly, taking a seat on a small stack of boxed tiles nearby. “It can be…difficult for people from underdeveloped societies to believe that they aren’t the only intelligent life in the universe.”

“Aliens. You’re talking about aliens.” Seonghwa said flatly. “This is insane—”

“As opposed to…what? Thinking that yours is the only sentient species on the only habitable planet in a universe so vast that your scientists don’t even have a number to quantify how many there are?” Hongjoong scoffed. 

Seonghwa flinched, because it felt like an insult. “Are you saying that…you…you’re an alien?”

“I’m not from earth.” Hongjoong explained. “I’m a hybrid. We’re genetically engineered humans…our DNA is spliced with different animal species, to serve a specific purpose. I was spliced with something like a wolf. They call us Lycans. We’re bred for the Corps, to serve as soldiers, but that didn’t really work out for me.”

“Hold on, pause.” Seonghwa threw a hand up, making a time-out motion. “So you’re telling me you’re like a…rebellious space werewolf?”

“I don’t…know what a werewolf is.” Hongjoong admitted.

Seonghwa waved off the thought. “Forget it…what about the…the other things, at the clinic? They didn’t look human.”

“They’re called Watchers. They’re a lesser species from the Mirotic system. They’re used as spies across the universe for the Nobility.” Hongjoong answered.

“And they…they tried to kill me.” Seonghwa asked breathlessly.

“Yes. And they’re not gonna stop trying, which is why I need to get you to my employer.” Hongjoong said.

“Your…employer?”

“Yes. He’s a very rich, very powerful Noble who wants you brought to him alive.” Hongjoong replied.

Seonghwa’s brow furrowed. “Why?”

“I’m a bounty hunter, I don’t get to ask questions like that.” Hongjoong said with a mirthless scoff of a laugh. “But if there’s people out there trying to kill you, then it must be for something important.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand. Why me? I’m just a…I’m not anybody. I’m nobody.” Seonghwa raked a hand through his own hair, pulling until it stung. Any thought that he might have been dreaming bled away. “Wh-what if I just…go home? If I don’t go with you, I just forget all this happened, and leave? Would they…are they going to come after me?”

Hongjoong nodded, his expression somewhat empathetic. “Look, I…don’t know why these things want you dead, but if you let me take you to the man who hired me, you’ll be safe. He’s got enough power and influence that he  _ can  _ keep you safe. And I promise I’ll protect you until we get there.”

“Okay…okay…you said we’re up here for an extraction. Someone’s gonna take us to this employer of yours?” Seonghwa asked, trying desperately to get his nerves under control. “On a…a ship, like, a spaceship? It’s gonna take us through space?”

“Yes.” Hongjoong confirmed. “I know it’s an incredible feat for your species, on this planet, but…for us it’s as simple as stepping through a portal.”

Seonghwa gave him a blank look.

“You…don’t have portals.” Hongjoong guessed.

“In, like…movies.” Seonghwa mumbled.

The device on the table trilled, then, causing Seonghwa to jump. Hongjoong gave a quelling gesture, crossing the room to check it.

“Our ride will be here any second. Time to go.”

Seonghwa made an uneasy sort of noise, watching warily as Hongjoong retrieved his gun to holster it at his side before offering Seonghwa a hand. He pulled him to his feet easily, and he was surprised to find that Hongjoong was actually a little bit shorter than him.

“Don’t we need to go to the roof?” Seonghwa asked, following Hongjoong as he headed over to one of the massive windows that looked out onto the Hudson.

“No, here’s fine.” Hongjoong said, placing a strange triangular device onto the window. It spun rapidly out from the center, creating a weird ripple effect and almost seeming like it opened a portal to the other side. “Go on, stick your hand through. It’s safe.”

He demonstrated by doing it himself, waving his hand through the glass that was no longer there…or at least, no longer solid.

Seonghwa brought his hand up curiously, pushing his fingers through the rippling portal and surprisingly feeling nothing. He let out a soft sound of amazement, letting his arm sink into the elbow. It just felt like it was outside, like he could feel the cool winds high up against the skyscraper.

Hongjoong couldn’t help but grin as he watched, and when the familiar light of a tractor beam shone down the side of the building, illuminating the row of windows they were next to, he activated his boots. He was suddenly floating several inches off the ground, a tinny hum and soft white light emanating from the soles. Seonghwa startled when he saw Hongjoong was instantly a bit taller than him, staring at the boots in wonderment.

“Are those  _ flying boots?”  _

Hongjoong shrugged. “They use the force of gravity redirected it into a differential equation slope so they can be used to surf on the air.”

Seonghwa blinked. “I didn’t get much of that beyond ‘gravity’ and ‘surf’, to be honest.”

“Down is easy. Up requires tech and a whole lot of math.” Hongjoong told him with a huff of a laugh, his toothy smirk showing off the sharp canines in the otherwise immaculate row of his bottom set of teeth.

Seonghwa gave an uneasy smile. “Right.”

“Ready?” Hongjoong asked, tossing his head toward the rippling surface of the window.

“Ready to…what? Step out of a hundred-story window with you and your gravity boots into a beam of light from an apparent  _ spaceship  _ that’s supposed to take me into  _ outer fucking space  _ to some rich guy I don’t know—”

“Okay, maybe easier if I just…yeah.” Hongjoong leaned closer and scooped Seonghwa up into his arms, carrying him bridal style with ease and stepping through the rippling portal. Seonghwa yelped and clung tighter to Hongjoong, but the tractor beam caught them, not only keeping them from falling but dragging them up through the air, slowly.

“S-sorry…” He murmured, loosening his grip a little so he wasn’t strangling the other.

Seonghwa let out a shivering breath, looking up. He could barely see the spaceship beyond its metallic camouflage, obviously trying to remain unseen for the most part, but the outline of it was entirely alien, like nothing he’d ever seen designed by scientists on earth.

It was nearly sunset, and the view from where they were floating was breathtaking. The sky was streaked in hues of orange and pink that bled up into purple and endless sapphire. The city seemed to stretch on forever, lights glittering beneath them like a blanket of stars. It was beautiful, in a way that Seonghwa didn’t think a big city could ever be. He was struck by it for a moment, by just how insignificant and small he felt in a city so big.

Seonghwa caught Hongjoong’s gaze to see that he was watching him, grinning in amusement at his awestruck face. He pressed his lips together, cheeks coloring in embarrassment. Something like this probably meant nothing to someone like him, someone who’d probably seen countless cities on countless planets, and Seonghwa was making himself look like a dumb earthling in his eyes, he supposed.

He couldn’t dwell on it, though. Moments later, a noise called their attention upward. Beyond the roof of the building, more ships came into view as they dropped their camouflage and swooped in. They were small, but there were several of them, flanking their transport ship on all sides.

“Oh shit…” Hongjoong cursed, watching powerlessly as they fired their weapons all at once. “Hold on tight!”

Seonghwa whimpered but did as he was told, wrapping his arms around Hongjoong’s neck as hard as he could. He felt the air tremble from the impact of the lasers, felt the two of them begin to drop slightly when the tractor beam released its hold, but when the ship above them imploded, he was unprepared for the force of the explosion that blasted both of them so hard that he was all but ripped from Hongjoong’s arms by the blowback.

Without the aid of Hongjoong’s grav boots, Seonghwa dropped like a stone. He screamed as he was suddenly sent careening toward the ground and what was surely an imminent death. He reached up toward Hongjoong, but he was so far away, his boots keeping him safely floating against gravity’s pull.

Hongjoong cursed again, lifting his energy shield as a large piece of debris slammed into him. He used the momentum to propel himself downward, skating on the air and pushing himself faster than he could fall to catch up with Seonghwa. He hadn’t even dropped fifty stories by the time Hongjoong swooped in close and grabbed him, pulling Seonghwa in against his chest and keeping an arm wrapped around his waist.

The ships were circling back around, apparently having spotted them. Hongjoong was at a massive disadvantage, having nothing but his small blaster, grav boots and an energy shield against heavily-armed stealth ships…not to mention that he was laden with an innocent charge—but he wasn’t going to let them take them down without a fight.

“Hold on and don’t look down.” Hongjoong said, pivoting in the air to take a hard turn around a building for cover.

“It’s a little late for that—!” Seonghwa shrieked, burying his face into Hongjoong’s shoulder. That was short-lived, however, when centrifugal force yanked him out of Hongjoong’s hold on the hard turn, leaving the bounty hunter to hold him by the forearm just to keep him from being flung into the aether.

Hongjoong pulled him back in, activating the shield in front of him to guard him from the laser fire raining down on them. The glass windows beneath them shattered and the energy shield sparked as it deflected the shots mere inches in front of Seonghwa’s face.

“Fuck, there’s too many of them—” Hongjoong snarled, pivoting and pulling Seonghwa onto his back. He kept the ships in front of them, however, always turning so he could keep his shield up to guard them from the laser fire. “We’re gonna have to hijack one.”

_ “We?”  _ Seonghwa balked, tone hysterical.

“Well, you’re along for the ride!” Hongjoong quipped, eyes going wide when he saw one of the ships powering up their secondary weapon. “Oh fuck—”

He barely managed to turn in time as the more powerful blast exploded across one of the high rise’s roofs, the force of it knocking them back toward the earth and nearly ripping Seonghwa out of his arms again. Both of them managed to stay together this time, though, if only because Seonghwa was holding on for dear life.

The blast managed to force them nearly onto the ground, however, Hongjoong gliding down the side of a smaller building with his grav boots to slow their descent. On the streets, the environment was too chaotic. Vehicles were everywhere, and Hongjoong narrowly skated over a swerving car, the force of his boots cracking the windshield.

There were too many civilians here. Too much risk of collateral damage. Hongjoong knew he had to get off the streets, but the ships were bearing down on them, making passes with their guns blazing.

He did the only thing he could think to do. As they crossed the bridge connecting the island and the mainland over the Hudson river, Hongjoong took a sharp turn and bounded over the side of the bridge, toward the water.

They stopped midair however, or though it seemed, until the camouflage on the ship they’d landed on dropped, the Watcher visibly shocked inside the cockpit beneath their feet.

Hongjoong’s face broke out in a toothy smirk, and he quickly reversed the polarity on his gravity boots. They clung to the hull like a magnet, locking him in place.

“Whatever you do, don’t let go!”

Seonghwa clung to him, but nothing could have prepared him for the force of the ship accelerating with the two of them latched onto the hull.

He was practically ripped from Hongjoong’s back, the hunter only barely managing to hang onto his wrists to keep him from flying out of his grip. The Watcher was desperately trying to shake them, executing hairpin turns and barrel rolls with little success. Finally, the thing just flew straight up into the air, trying to get enough speed to force them off… but Hongjoong was quicker. He heaved Seonghwa’s arms back over his shoulders, pulling out his blaster and pointing it at the pilot through the glass.

“Out.” He snarled, and the pilot ejected, valuing his own life over his duty, apparently. “Get in!”

Seonghwa realized quite quickly that the ship was beginning to fall. He scrambled to get into the cramped cockpit, taking the rear-facing seat that seemed to only have weapons controls. Hongjoong dropped into the front seat, closing the canopy door mere seconds before they nosedived into the water.

There was a moment—just a brief, fleeting second or two—that the world was muted and silent, the sounds of the city and the ships and everything else muted by the dark water of the Hudson.

And then, laser fire erupted again as the remaining ships seemed to fire at them from all sides from above the surface. Several shots pierced the cockpit shield and water began leaking in. Hongjoong slid his hands into the control sleeves, quickly calibrating the ship.

“Hongjoong…” Seonghwa urged, voice thready with concern.

“Working on it—” He responded shortly, fingers working over the controls with the grace and precision of a pianist. When the ship finally trilled affirmatively and the HUD flared to life, he gripped hard at the controls. “All right, let’s punch it!”

Hongjoong surged both arms forward and the ship launched out of the water, their enemies in hot pursuit. Seonghwa clung to his seat for dear life as Hongjoong maneuvered around the cargo ships, bridges and dinner cruise yachts occupying the river. He dove under one bridge, quickly surfacing so they wouldn’t take on too much water.

“Brace yourself.” He warned, then took them down again. But the moment they were out of sight, he pulled back on their acceleration, letting the other ships get ahead of them. When they came bursting out of the water again, Hongjoong fired upon the ships, managing to take out one of them in an explosion of sparks before they grew wise to his trap and circled back around.

“They’re only gonna fall for that once.” Hongjoong growled, launching them up into the sky again.

“Now what?” Seonghwa asked.

“I can only shoot them when I get them out in front of us. You have control of the rear weapons. I need your help.” Hongjoong called over his shoulder, banking hard around a bridge.

“Me? I’ve played, like, Starcraft?” Seonghwa protested, his voice strained. “I don’t know how to use weapons on an alien fighter jet!”

“Slide your hands into the braces in front of you. Pivot to aim, squeeze to fire.” Hongjoong relayed. “You can do it.”

“Sure, right, I can do it. Shooting alien spaceships. Like Galaga. Except if you lose, you die. Perfect.” Seonghwa muttered to himself somewhat manically as he slid his hands into the braces on either side of the seat.

The screen in front of him flared to life, a crystal clear video of their pursuers with a HUD in some language he’d never seen before.

Seonghwa squeaked. “This is  _ not  _ like Galaga!”

“Just pivot and squeeze. There’s a slight delay so try to lead a little. _Shit—!”_ Hongjoong hissed, cutting a hard right around a highrise.

Seonghwa yelped as he was thrown against the side of the ship, his shoulder thankfully sparing his head from taking the brunt of it.

“In a few seconds, I’m gonna keep us steady. Just aim and fire.” Hongjoong urged, still weaving through the air and dodging the onslaught of laser fire. Finally, just for a brief moment, he stilled, and Seonghwa squeezed the trigger.

A volley of laser blasts burst from the rear of the ship, catching their enemies off guard. Two of them banked off to either side but one remained centered just long enough that one of the shots hit dead center on the fuselage, causing the ship to break apart midair.

Seonghwa whooped victoriously. “Yeah! Fuck yes! Just like _ fucking _ Galaga!”

Hongjoong laughed, shaking his head. “Whatever you say.”

He banked around another building, Seonghwa trying to get a clean shot without much success. Hongjoong had better luck at the front, out-maneuvering the ships as they crossed trails trying to cut him off and managing to catch one of them off-guard. He fired off a quick volley of lasers that cut clean through the other ship, blasting it out of the sky.

The last ship took advantage of the distraction, using the opportunity to strafe past in a barrage of laser fire. Seonghwa was just short on his lead and missed his own shots, but the enemy didn’t, the blasts catching the tail end of their ship and setting off warning sirens before Seonghwa’s HUD went offline.

“I’m hit, I’m dark, I have no more visual back here!”

_ “Shit!”  _ Hongjoong snarled, circling back around. The final ship did the same, though they were still some distance apart.

Hongjoong gritted his teeth and punched the ignition.

The ships surged toward each other, weaving through the air and dodging each others’ shots. But their borrowed ship had taken a lot of damage, and they couldn’t keep this up.

Hongjoong pitched the nose of the ship downward just a few degrees, pivoting the wings into their vertical configuration just as the ships passed each other, theirs ending up just beneath the enemy’s.

The ships broke apart on impact, the enemy’s taking the brunt of the damage. The wings of their ship sheared through the fuselage of the enemy ship, but the force of the collision cracked their craft in two, right down the center of the cockpit. The back of the ship, and Seonghwa along with it, split off from the front and careened back toward the earth.

The front section tore away and spun mercilessly through the air, taking Hongjoong along for the ride. He reactivated his boots and launched himself off of the debris, reaching for Seonghwa. He only managed to grab onto the tail end of the ship, desperately trying to crawl his way to the other side of the wreckage as it spun and spun, Seonghwa still clinging to it for dear life. They were getting too close to the ground. He wasn’t going to make it.

Hongjoong leapt, gripping tightly to Seonghwa’s wrist and yanking him out of the ruined ship just as it clipped the roof of a smaller building. He tumbled through the air, pulling Seonghwa against him as he skidded to a stop on the roof of a parking garage, barely managing to stop their momentum before they reached the ledge at the other side. The ruined ship fell just short of them, obliterating a line of parked cars to their right before coming to a stop, the twisted metal groaning as it settled.

Seonghwa stumbled out of Hongjoong’s grasp, glad to be on solid ground again, though he felt like his knees might give out at any second.

“I’m gonna…I think I’m gonna be sick—”

“No judgement.” Hongjoong told him.

Seonghwa felt his stomach churn, ducking behind a car just in time to hurl his guts up.

Hongjoong frowned sympathetically, rubbing his back in gentle, soothing strokes. “Easy, it’s okay. You’re okay.”

Seonghwa groaned miserably. He wasn’t okay. He didn’t think he’d ever be okay again. “I just… I killed those things. They weren’t human but they were sentient, living things and I—”

“To be fair, they tried to kill you first.” Hongjoong reminded him. “And more will be coming. We need to get out of the city…too many eyes, too many cameras.”

“Right. Sorry.” Seonghwa mumbled, spitting a few times before clearing his throat. Hongjoong looked like he wanted to tell him not to apologize, but he didn’t get the chance to speak. “How do you propose we get out of the city while keeping a low profile?”

Hongjoong’s gaze trailed over to the cars surrounding them on the roof of the parking garage.

Well, that was one way.

***

Seonghwa was a self-proclaimed fan of public transportation. It was less cramped, there wasn’t as much traffic if you took the subway, and utilizing it reduced your carbon footprint. Getting out of the city by car was hell, especially since there was pandemonium in the wake of the alien fire-fight that had just occurred over the Manhattan skyline.

Except, no one was panicking.

Law enforcement seemed almost bored as they ushered people toward detours, claiming it was a construction mishap. And no one questioned it. Seonghwa couldn’t believe it.

“Just another way to keep a species underdeveloped.” Hongjoong explained as they sat in the bumper-to-bumper traffic across the bridge. “They blank people’s memories. They can’t get everyone, not in a city this large…but the people they miss? Either they convince themselves they imagined it, or they live the rest of their lives with everyone  _ else  _ believing they’ve gone insane because they insist they didn’t.”

Seonghwa let out a shaky sigh. Maybe humanity’s ignorance wasn’t voluntary, or a product of their own lack of understanding. Maybe it was entirely manufactured.

The thought sat miserably in his gut.

It took them ages to get out of the city, but once they hit the highway, Hongjoong got them out of the worst of it and out onto the open road. Seonghwa was floating in some place between wired on adrenaline and drained of all energy, leaving him feeling like a manic husk of a person. He must have been trembling, because after a while, Hongjoong laid a hand over his, stopping him from shaking.

“Hey, it’s okay. The worst is over, for now.” He said softly.

“Right. For now.” Seonghwa murmured, voice hollow.

Hongjoong was quiet for a moment before he put both hands back on the wheel, clearing his throat. “Seonghwa—”

“Look,” Seonghwa cut him off, seeming for all the world that he was trying desperately to remain composed. “Now that we aren’t running for our lives and dodging laser fire from alien spaceships, it would be nice if we could take this opportunity to talk about what the everloving  _ fuck  _ is going on.”

Hongjoong glanced over at him at the outburst, obviously having originally been quelled by his initially calm tone. “Uh. Well, I can’t say for certain, but I’ve got some theories.”

“I would  _ love  _ to hear your theories, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa said, his tone somehow overly sweet and completely devoid of emotion.

Hongjoong sighed. “I think we may have stumbled into a war between the primary heirs of the House of Aris.”

“The…House of Aris?”

“One of the oldest, most powerful dynasties in the universe.” Hongjoong told him. “The Noble who hired me? That was Kai Aris, he’s the youngest of the three living Aris siblings. And those Watchers? I recognize those ships. Those were sent by Hwasa Aris. She’s the current head of the family, and the owner of this planet. Their father, he was the family patriarch until he died some centuries ago and ever since, his three heirs have been less than civil with each other.”

“Okay, but what does this have to do with  _ me?”  _ Seonghwa hissed.

“I have absolutely no fucking idea.” Hongjoong admitted. “But at least one heir of House Aris wants you dead, one wants you alive, and we are gonna have a hell of a time getting off this planet.”

“So then where are we going? What’s the…what’s our plan?”

“I…know a guy.” Hongjoong said, though he sounded a little doubtful as he glanced out the car window nervously. “My ex-partner back in the Corps. After I was…discharged, he was reassigned here, as a marshal. They’re kind of like…planet babysitters for the Servo. That’s the Intergalactic Commonwealth Police.”

“Space cops.” Seonghwa groaned. “You’re taking me to a  _ space cop.” _

“I’m taking you to a space  _ marshal  _ who  _ reports  _ to the space cops.” Hongjoong bit back sarcastically. “He’ll know what to do…if he doesn’t kill me first.”

“What?!” Seonghwa yelped, horrified. “If he might kill you then why are we going to meet this guy?”

“Our options are few and, anger at me aside, he’s a good guy.” Hongjoong said.

“How long ‘til we get there?” Seonghwa asked nervously.

“In this primitive vehicle? Close to three hours.” Hongjoong answered, grunting in pain as he shifted his hand on the wheel.

Seonghwa’s gaze trailed down and he gasped when he noticed a fair amount of blood streaming from Hongjoong’s side.

“O-oh my god, you’re hurt—”

“S’fine, it’s not that serious. I’ve had worse.”

“What do you mean you’ve had wo—I don’t care, you’re  _ injured!”  _ Seonghwa snapped, rifling through the glovebox of the vehicle. “Well, luckily for you, the person who owns this car—”

He held up a sanitary pad, waving it dramatically.

“Is that a—oh you’re  _ not  _ serious—” Hongjoong balked as Seonghwa pressed the soft cottony pad against his wound, holding it there. “...okay, you are.”

Seonghwa sighed, shifting to get more comfortable facing toward him in the passenger’s seat. There was a long moment that they just sat there in silence until Seonghwa grew uneasy and cleared his throat.

“Um…Hongjoong?”

“Mm?”

“Look, I just…I wanted to thank you. For saving my life.” Seonghwa murmured, the words coming out in a rush. “I…when I started falling, I thought I was gonna die. But then you…well. You were there to catch me and…”

Hongjoong glanced over, holding his gaze for just a fraction of a moment before returning them to the road. Seonghwa’s cheeks were dusted pink, the tips of his ears bright red, like he was embarrassed.

Seonghwa let out a puff of breath, shaking his head. “You’re obviously one hell of a space-werewolf-soldier-turned-bounty-hunter.”

Hongjoong scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I told you, I don’t know what the hell a werewolf is.”

“Right, right.” Seonghwa grinned, huffing a laugh. “They’re like, wolf people. They howl at the moon and transform into monsters when it’s full.”

“That sounds nothing like me.” Hongjoong protested. “And what moon? Earth’s? Crescent, the Commonwealth capital planet, has five.”

Seonghwa snorted. “That’s a whole lot of moons to howl at.”

There was a beat of silence where Seonghwa just watched him drive, making sure the bleeding in his side wasn’t getting worse. After a long moment, he spoke again.

“So do you do this sort of thing a lot?”—Hongjoong shook his head—“If that’s the case, then why did Kai Aris hire  _ you  _ for this job?”

“I’m very good at finding people.” Hongjoong told him.

“After we meet up with your old army friend-not-friend…are you going to take me to him? To this Kai Aris?” Seonghwa asked quietly.

“That was the plan.”

Seonghwa cocked his head. “Was?”

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do.” Hongjoong murmured, eyes facing the road even though his gaze was clearly a thousand miles away. “But we’ve gotta get you off this planet. That much is for certain.”

Seonghwa nodded, the two of them falling into a somewhat uneasy silence for a long while. 

It was almost an hour later that the highway towns were beginning to get more and more sparse, and Seonghwa couldn’t ignore his growling stomach any longer.

“So, um…” Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong, who was solely focused upon the road. “I don’t know if space werewolves eat, but I’m an earth human with earth human needs and I’m gonna need some food, especially since I kind of hurled everything in my stomach up on the roof of that parking garage.”

“We eat.” Hongjoong retorted, making a face. “We shouldn’t stop anywhere for long, though.”

“Just hit up a drive-through. You have those in space?”

“...no.”

“Oh, well, you’re in for a treat.” Seonghwa grinned, a gleam in his eyes as he pointed Hongjoong toward the nearest exit.

Within minutes, they were pulling into the parking lot of a fast-food burger joint, and Hongjoong’s confusion was practically palpable.

“Do you like burgers? Do you even know what that is?” Seonghwa asked. “It’s meat, on a bun, with condiments and fried potatoes on the side.”

“I’m not picky, just get me whatever you’re having.” Hongjoong replied dismissively.

“Fine, just, pull up here.” He pointed toward the drive-thru lane, and Hongjoong did as he asked, pulling up to the little microphone box.

_ “Welcome, may I take your order?” _ The speaker crackled, the guy on the other end sounding less than enthused to be there.

“I’ll have a—” Seonghwa made a face, craning his neck but to no avail. With a huff, he unlatched his seatbelt and climbed over Hongjoong, resting one knee on the center console and one on Hongjoong’s thigh for leverage as he leaned over his lap to reach the window. “Yeah, let me get two number fours with no onions, both with Cokes and medium fries.”

Hongjoong sat stock-still, staring at the side profile of Seonghwa’s face as the other balanced over him. He didn’t know if maybe it was because he hadn’t seen anyone who wasn’t a hardened criminal in years, but he thought Seonghwa might be the most beautiful person he’d ever seen, human or hybrid or otherwise.

More distracting than the perfect proportions of his face was his  _ scent.  _ It was particularly sharp after the stress of everything that had happened, and it may have been even more so in those fateful moments, but now it was muted and calm. The pungent tang of adrenaline still clung to him, though, even hours later. This close, it was intoxicating. 

The uninterested guy at the drive-through window read back the order displayed on the screen and Seonghwa confirmed it was correct before regarding Hongjoong, and the position he was in, his cheeks coloring.

“Sorry, s’just, easier not to yell.”

“R-right, yeah, it’s just…you, ah…you smell.” Hongjoong cringed. “Your. I meant  _ your  _ smell.”

Hongjoong wasn’t sure if that made any more sense, really.

Seonghwa’s cheeks blazed as he dropped back into his own seat. “Oh god, I’m sorry, I’m probably disgusting…hopefully your not-friend doesn’t kill you and I can ask to borrow his shower…”

“No, it’s not…bad. It’s just. Strong.” Hongjoong insisted, waving off his concern. He couldn’t help but duck his head in shame for saying something so rude. “I’m a… _ space werewolf,  _ remember? Some of my senses are…intense.”

“O-oh, right. I was gonna say, because, um, I’m East Asian and we don’t really smell when we perspire? Not like most people? Something about the number of sweat glands we have or whatever—”

“What’s ‘East Asian’? Is that a type of human subspecies? Is it regional?” Hongjoong asked as he pulled forward in the line.

“Y-yeah, um. I’m from the other side of the planet, kind of. I mean I was born in the middle of the ocean, but, ethnically, I’m South Korean.” Seonghwa explained. “But I’m also American, since I was raised here. Well, not officially, but, I mean…I definitely don’t belong anywhere else, so…”

“Seems like your kind draws a lot of borders.” Hongjoong commented.

“Well, to be fair, there’s like…an entire ocean between us.” Seonghwa replied. “But yeah. Borders are a point of contention for us earthlings, especially Americans.”

Hongjoong just grunted, handing the person at the window the card Seonghwa gave him. It was a gift card from the clinic, something that didn’t have his name attached, so it couldn’t be traced. Not as ideal as cash, but Seonghwa didn’t have any on him.

“What about everywhere else? Do you have like, interplanetary passports? Documents that let you travel to any planet you like?” Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong thought for a moment. “Not exactly? We have identification, but if you’re part of the Intergalactic Commonwealth, you can pretty much go anywhere within the Commonwealth without issue. Except restricted places where the military or government operate, or planets owned by Nobility.”

“Planets. Owned by…okay. Because that’s normal.” Seonghwa mumbled.

“Here’s your order.” The drive-through guy said, handing them their drinks and then the bag, laden with grease at the bottom. “Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you!” Seonghwa chirped, giddily accepting the bag. “Oh my god I’m  _ starving.”  _

He snagged a few fries before pulling out his burger, setting his own in his lap before unwrapping Hongjoong’s for him as he got back out onto the road. Once he was on the highway, he handed the half-unwrapped burger to him.

“Here. Portable earth food.” Seonghwa said gleefully, digging into his own with a groan of satisfaction. “Mm, delicious.”

Hongjoong warily sniffed the meat, grimacing. “This is disgusting. This isn’t food.”

“Oh, let me guess, you don’t eat animal products in space? Are you all too woke for that?” Seonghwa quipped.

“Nobility are the only ones with access to animal products.” Hongjoong corrected. “Everything marketed for mass consumption is grown in a lab.”

“Huh. Lab meat. They’re just now working on that technology here, it hasn’t caught on yet.” Seonghwa took another bite, humming in delight before swallowing. “This? This is the real deal. Sure it’s like, meat paste or whatever. Meat sludge. But it’s  _ delicious _ meat sludge.”

“I can see why your kind haven’t managed to get past your own moon.” Hongjoong muttered, taking a reluctant bite and nearly gagging.

“Hey! We’ve sent like…six whole robots to Mars.”

“You’ve sent  _ rovers _ to Mars. Where I’m from, robots can walk and talk like humans. How’s your planet’s android tech?”

“In its infancy.” Seonghwa admitted. “But at least we don’t claim to own  _ planets  _ and breed people with specific genetics and sell them into literal servitude. Our slavery age was over centuries ago. I can’t believe that’s still a thing in space.”

Hongjoong blinked at him. “Your government doesn’t breed people for service work because you do it yourselves. The wealth distribution on this planet is criminal. And trust me, I would know.”

Seonghwa fell silent at that, not really having any response of merit.

His hamburger suddenly tasted less delicious than he remembered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a bunch of stuff that wasn’t in the film, and as a result, the word count got out of hand so I’m ALREADY splitting a chapter and changing my projection. I’m a clown.


	4. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was all going to be in the last chapter so AS YOU CAN SEE, it had to be split. Now we’re back on track, for the time being.

Seonghwa didn’t think he’d ever even seen a corn field. He and his family hadn’t really ever left the city, at least not since he was very young.

The further north they went, though, the more wide stretches of greenery, farmhouses and fields of crops they saw. The traffic thinned, then seemed to disappear altogether as they turned off the main roads and headed into the more rural part of whatever obscure town they’d ended up in.

Eventually, Hongjoong pulled up to a two-story farmhouse surrounded by acres and acres of cornfields. When they got out of the car, the first thing Seonghwa noticed were the beehives. They were _everywhere,_ just casually attached to the corners of the house, along the porch and on every available wooden surface. The front yard was blooming with flowers and flowering weeds, the entire area buzzing with the insects.

“So, your space cop not-friend…is he like, a bee hybrid?” Seonghwa asked as they headed toward the door.

“Bear hybrid. Bred for strength and endurance. But his splicer was a fan of bees, and sometimes traits like that get passed along to the hybrid.” Hongjoong explained, appearing completely unfazed as he walked through the grass to get to the porch. The bees left him alone, and Seonghwa followed behind warily.

Hongjoong plodded up onto the porch, his heavy boots causing the wood to creak. He knocked insistently, and when there wasn’t an immediate response, knocked again.

Before he could knock a third time, the door swung open, a man with dark hair and a brand on his neck standing there with weapon in-hand. It looked like a high-tech shotgun, or like something NERF might sell, but with a lot more convincing hardware.

“Well if it isn’t a ghost standing on my doorstep.” The man said. He looked a little younger than Seonghwa had expected, though there was a sort of hardness to his eyes that showed his true age.

“Jongho…long time no see.” Hongjoong said, his tone clearly wary and a little strained. “Kind of funny, both of us ending up on this planet, huh?”

“Huh. ‘Funny’ isn’t the word I’d use.” Jongho replied, setting his gun aside before hauling off and punching Hongjoong across the face.

Seonghwa gasped in horror and shock, but Hongjoong appeared unfazed, almost like he’d expected it. He just bowed his head and took it like some kind of kicked puppy as he stumbled down the porch steps into the yard.

“How’d you get out of the Null Sector?” Jongho asked, rolling his shoulders and closing the distance between them.

“Kai Aris sprung me to lift him.” Hongjoong said, motioning to Seonghwa. “Said he could get us reinstated if I did the job.”

Jongho glanced over his shoulder, appraising Seonghwa for only a scant second or two before turning back to Hongjoong. “You haven’t learned a goddamned thing, huh?”

He punched him twice more, so fast that Hongjoong didn’t even have a chance to do much more than put his hands up to guard his face. Seonghwa watched helplessly, wanting to help but knowing he would just get laid out without even being of any use.

“You know, I was just getting used to this life, and now here you are, reminding me of everything I lost because of you—” Jongho swung again, and Hongjoong finally managed to duck, only for Jongho to pivot and get him on the upswing, right in the solar plexus.

Hongjoong wheezed as his back hit the dirt, taking a moment to get to his feet. “C’mon…is Junyoung here? He’s a cute kid, and you’re so much more reasonable when he’s around.”

“Leave my son out of this.” Jongho growled, swinging again.

“I heard my name!” Came a small voice from inside the house. After a moment, a boy emerged, no older than eight, who bore a striking resemblance to Jongho.

“Stay inside.” Jongho grunted, moving in for another hit on Hongjoong and narrowly missing.

The boy seemed unbothered, catching sight of Seonghwa on the porch and grinning brightly, offering a hand. “Hi! I’m Junyoung!”

“Um. Seonghwa.” He replied, shaking it. He cringed when Hongjoong ended up laid out on his ass in the flower garden again.

“Nice to meet you!” Junyoung said cheerily. “Dad doesn’t get many visitors.”

“Does he usually beat them up?” Seonghwa asked wryly, waving away a few bees that were circling rather close to his own face.

“Yep!” Junyoung answered with a grin, completely nonplussed as the men continued brawling.

“Look at you, still got a bit of fight, huh?” Jongho goaded as Hongjoong climbed to his feet once more.

“Never did know when to quit.” Hongjoong admitted, rearing back and tackling Jongho.

The two of them crashed into the side of the porch, taking out one of the support beams and a rather large hive along with it. The bees became agitated, buzzing around wildly and swarming around them. They seemed to favor Seonghwa, however, attempting to surround him as he let out an alarmed sound and bolted away from the porch, toward the garden.

The bees followed, however, even as Seonghwa tried batting them away. “What’s happening? Why are they after _me?!_ I didn’t destroy their home—”

Junyoung giggled. “I don’t think they’re ‘after you’ at all! They like you!”

He pointed behind Seonghwa, and sure enough, when he turned around, he could clearly see that a massive swarm of bees was just idling in a large arc over his head. When he moved his arm to wave them away, they moved in tandem.

“Wh-what?” Seonghwa murmured, moving his arms again, with more purpose. The bees moved along with him, rippling like wings spread out to each side of him. “What’s going on…?”

Hongjoong and Jongho both watched in awe, Hongjoong’s brow scrunching up in curiosity. Seonghwa let out an amazed laugh, looking on in wonder as the bees moved with him, their little fuzzy bodies glowing golden in the late afternoon sunlight.

Jongho stepped toward him, sinking down to one knee, his tone utterly respectful when he spoke.

“Your Majesty.”

***

Junyoung sat next to Seonghwa at the large farm table in his father’s kitchen, legs swinging as he rocked back and forth, grinning up at the newcomer like he was the coolest person he’d ever met. Several bees circled around Seonghwa’s general vicinity, moving with him any time he so much as twitched or raised his arm. It was equal parts fascinating and disturbing.

Jongho had dug out what looked like an old crate from his hall closet, setting it in the living room before turning to his son.

“Hey, buddy, why don’t you go play with your Switch upstairs? The adults have some important, boring stuff to talk about.”

“Mm…okay! Bye Your Majesty!” Junyoung chirped, coughing slightly into his little fist before bounding up the stairs.

Once he was gone, they moved into the living room, Jongho snapping open that old plastic crate and pulling out a spray can. “All right, let’s see the damage.”

Hongjoong sighed and stood, ripping off his shirt. The wound on his side wasn’t deep but the damage to his skin was extensive, looking like it had been torn up by a jagged piece of metal in their earlier aerial battle. Seonghwa cringed.

When Hongjoong turned, Seonghwa caught a glimpse of his back. On his shoulder blades were what looked like two identical metal ports surrounded by scar tissue. He couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp; they looked _painful._

“Not the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen, huh?” Jongho commented. “Clipped wings, the mark of a court-martialed Halo.”

“You still haven’t answered me. Do you want _yours_ back or not?” Hongjoong asked pointedly.

“Wait…you had _wings?”_ Seonghwa interrupted.

“The best bio-tech prosthetics the military could buy.” Jongho answered in an almost smug, mirthless tone, bringing the spray can up to Hongjoong’s wound. He misted whatever it was over the wound, doing a few passes, and within seconds, the skin was knitting back together.

Seonghwa jumped up, watching in fascination. “Oh my god—that’s amazing. How is that…possible?”

He didn’t seem to have any regard for how far into Hongjoong’s space he’d moved, peering at the healed wound as though it were not abnormal to have his nose mere inches from Hongjoong’s ribs.

“Your Majesty has no idea of the scientific miracles that human beings are capable of.” Jongho told him, replacing the can in the crate.

“Well…why wouldn’t those human beings share those things?” Seonghwa asked, a little offended.

Jongho made a face. “Sharing’s never been a strong suit of your species, Your Majesty.”

“Okay…uh… what’s with this, ‘Your Majesty’ thing?” Seonghwa questioned uneasily.

“You’ve never been stung by a bee, have you?” Jongho said.

Seonghwa frowned. “Uh, no, but I mean, I grew up in the City, so…”

“Bees are genetically designed to recognize royalty.”

Seonghwa let that statement wash over him for several long seconds. When Jongho didn’t tack on a playful ‘just kidding!’, he realized he was serious. “That…is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

Jongho shrugged. “They follow a queen. It’s in their nature. Without her, they wither. They sense it in you…the royal blood.”

“Yeah, well, you’re in for a hell of a surprise when you find out what kind of life I’m living…” Seonghwa mumbled with a self-depreciating chuckle. He lived in a glorified closet, with no real identity of his own. He couldn’t be what they thought he was, bee-whisperer abilities or no.

“It’s not about the life you lead or what you do, it’s about who you are. They can sense it. Bees don’t doubt, and they can’t be bought. They don’t lie. They know.” Jongho replied, his serious tone brooking no argument.

Seonghwa backed up until his legs hit the sofa, letting himself sit down on the arm. He felt his phone digging into his ass, however, and pulled it out, finding it miraculously unbroken but very dead.

“Hey, uh, do you have an iPhone charger?”

“Yeah, in that drawer there.” Jongho told him, pointing to a nearby table.

“Thanks.” Seonghwa dug out the charger, plugging it into the wall and his phone. He gave it a minute or two before he tried powering it on.

Jongho looked over to Hongjoong, who had fallen eerily silent. “I suppose Kai Aris didn’t say anything about his lineage?”

“Yeah, no. He must’ve forgotten to mention it.” Hongjoong bit back sarcastically, shaking his head with an irritated scoff.

“Kind of hard to imagine you making a deal with a royal.” Jongho commented, giving Hongjoong a look.

He sighed, shrugging. “Kai told me you were posted to this planet. He said if I did this job for him, he’d get you reinstated. Wings and all. I figured I owed you.”

“Yeah, you do.” Jongho grumbled, glancing over at Seonghwa, who seemed to be engrossed in his phone. “But if he _is_ a recurrence, then this is a whole lot bigger than just the two of us and military rank.”

Hongjoong’s gaze traveled to Seonghwa as well, his jaw going tight. Jongho wasn’t exactly wrong.

After a few minutes, Seonghwa finally got his phone powered on, dreading what he would find. Instagram notification count was a mess, as expected, but he cringed at the number of texts and missed calls from Mingi and Yunho.

“Oh god, they’re gonna send a search party. Fuck, I should have called them sooner, from like a…pay phone or something.” Seonghwa said, mostly to himself, since Jongho and Hongjoong seemed to be wrapped up in their own conversation.

Eventually, he swallowed down his nerves and dialed them back.

It wasn’t even an entire ring before the line picked up.

“Seonghwa?!”

“H-hey…Yunho…”

“Seonghwa! Oh my god you’re alive. Baby, baby he’s alive!”

 _“Oh thank god!”_ Seonghwa heard Mingi bleat loudly in the background.

“Where have you _been_ Seonghwa oh my god, we were worried sick when you didn’t come home, and when I called the clinic they acted like you never existed! Well, like I never existed, I did ask for _my_ name, they _still_ told me nothing.” Yunho rambled, sounding like he hadn’t even taken a breath.

Seonghwa glanced over his shoulder, ducking around to the other side of the entryway wall so he had a little privacy.

“Yeah, listen, um, about that. Something happened at the clinic.” He said vaguely. “I’m okay, but I need to uh, go out of town for a little while. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I promise I’ll keep you updated when I can.”

“Seonghwa, what’s going on?” Yunho asked gravely.

Mingi was rambling on in the background. _“He’s leaving us, isn’t he? He’s running away from us, he hates it here, he thinks we don’t love him and—”_

“Hush, Mingi.” Yunho soothed, his voice dropping low. “Seonghwa, is it a police thing? Is it I.C.E.? Was it I.C.E.? Did they find you?”

“No, no it’s nothing like that. It’s just, um. It’s complicated and I’m not really sure yet what exactly is going on myself but I promise I’ll fill you in when I can.” Seonghwa told him. “Just…trust me. I’ll try to keep my phone charged but I’m not sure if I’ll have service where I’m going.”

He highly doubted he would have cellular service in space, but WiFi might not be out of the question.

“I really, _really_ don’t like this, Seonghwa.” Yunho admitted. “But I trust you. We both love you. Do what you have to do and come back safe, okay? We’re always here for you.”

Seonghwa swallowed down the lump in his throat, trying to will the tears in his eyes to stay put. “I know. Thank you. I love you both, I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay.” Yunho murmured, and both of them disconnected the line.

Seonghwa let out a shivering breath, taking a moment to collect himself. When he stepped back into the room, he could see that Jongho was fiddling with a device similar to what he’d seen Hongjoong using back at Central Park Tower the night before.

“Everything okay?” Hongjoong asked, though his tone was less than empathetic.

“Yeah, just, ah, my friends…well, my family, really.” Seonghwa assured. “It’s fine, I made up some excuses that should keep them off my back for now.”

Hongjoong just nodded, moving back toward the windows. He paced between them, constantly looking through the curtains. 

“Hwasa of House Aris has ordered a blockade of the planet. No ships on or off.” Jongho told them. 

“Who is this Hwasa person that they can make that kind of demand?” Seonghwa asked.

“Hwasa is the current head of Aris Industries. She owns the title to the earth.” Jongho explained.

Seonghwa scoffed incredulously. “You can’t—one person can’t _own_ the _earth.”_

Jongho and Hongjoong both just shared a look, the former clearing his throat.

“In any case, Servo command said that once they verify the gene print, they can file an injunction to take us to Crescent.”

“Great. Fucking red tape. So we just wait?” Hongjoong bit back, still pacing.

“They’re sending us a transport.” Jongho said. “It’ll be here some time tomorrow.”

Hongjoong let out a mirthless laugh. “We aren’t going to make it ‘til tomorrow.”

Seonghwa looked to Jongho, hoping he’d disagree, but Jongho just let out a long sigh.

“We’ll need to be prepared. We need some kind of plan.”

“What we need is firepower.” Hongjoong protested. “If he is what you think he is, then we aren’t getting off this planet without starting a war.”

Jongho inclined his head, conceding to his point.

“I don’t know how much time we have until they track us down here.” Hongjoong continued. “Where’s your stash?”

“In the back.” Jongho answered, tossing him a set of keys. Hongjoong caught them easily before stalking down the hall, not even sparing a glance at either of them.

Seonghwa watched him go, tapping his fingers nervously on the arm of his chair. “Is he…is he mad at me? He just seems, um. I don’t know. Upset. Like I pissed him off.”

Jongho let out a snort of a laugh. “When Hongjoong’s pissed, you’ll know it.”

“He just…seems different, since we got here.” Seonghwa murmured, graduating to wringing his hands in his lap, jittery.

“Hongjoong is…complicated.” Jongho told him, frowning. “Lycans are bred from pack animals. A pack is their center of gravity. He had the bad luck of being born a half-albino runt of his litter, which ended up with him being sold off to the Corps for a loss. Alone, without a pack, they’d usually waste away and die…unless they become like him. Hardened. Relentless.”

Jongho sighed, scratching his jaw. “Hongjoong was the best partner I ever had. The best soldier I ever went into battle with. He crawled his way up from the bottom of the ranks, had to prove himself ten times over for an iota of recognition, only to have all that work completely destroyed by a single action.”

“What did he do?” Seonghwa asked, unthinking. He realized his mistake instantly, though, shaking his head. “Wait, it’s not really my business, you don’t have to tell me.”

“He attacked a Noble. He bit him. Tore his throat out.” Jongho explained anyway. “I was his partner and I outranked him at the time so I took the fall. They stripped us both of our wings and rank, tossed Hongjoong into the Null Sector and reassigned me to this shithole—no offense.”

“None taken.” Seonghwa mumbled. “The Null Sector, what’s that?”

“Prisons were deemed ineffective and inhumane by the Morality & Ethics Committees millennia ago. Instead, a small network of planets is maintained in the Andromeda galaxy. Any crime committed that can’t be sentenced with community service or restitution gets you tossed out there, isolated from society.”

Seonghwa chewed on his bottom lip. “What did the Noble do, that caused Hongjoong to…bite him like that?”

“I can’t say if he did anything at all. There’s something about the royals for Hongjoong. It’s…instinctual. Some result of a defect in the gene splicing process, or something, so they said.” Jongho answered. “They wanted to put him down for it, but since I agreed to take the fall, too, they spared him.”

“He hates Nobles. And I’m. I’m some kind of Noble, according to your bees and whatever…gene test those things did on me before.” Seonghwa let out a shaky breath. “So he isn’t _mad_ at me, he just hates me, because of what I am. What I represent…”

“I don’t think it’s that simple.” Jongho admitted. “If he hated you, he wouldn’t bother with trying to protect you until we can get you off this planet. No matter what deal he made.”

“I don’t know, he…he really seems to respect you, and I bet he’d do anything in his power to get you back what you lost.” Seonghwa murmured, watching the bees that had become comfortable buzzing around his head like a halo.

Jongho shrugged, glancing out the window. “Guess it just feels like a lifetime ago, now. I can’t say I wouldn’t want to go back, because of course I would, but…I have different priorities now.”

“Your son.” Seonghwa guessed, smiling when Jongho nodded. “How old is he?”

“Seven, nearly eight. I raised him knowing what’s out there, but I’ve always hoped I’d get the chance to show him one day. If I wasn’t shackled to this planet, then I could.”

“I hope you get the chance, some day.” Seonghwa said genuinely. “I hope all of earth gets the chance to learn those things, too. About what’s out there, I mean.”

Jongho regarded him for a moment. “I don’t think most people would want to know the truth.”

Seonghwa frowned. “Well _I_ do.”

Jongho grinned. “Well, that I can help with.”

He motioned for Seonghwa to follow him, heading into another room that looked like it might serve as some kind of office. Jongho began poking around looking for something, sifting through boxes laden with ancient-looking tech.

“Okay, so, you’ve been taught that the birthplace of human civilization is on earth, in Mesopotamia, what many have called the Fertile Crescent. But actually, the birthplace of humanity is another planet _called_ Crescent, which is in the Aurora System—and it was about a billion of your years ago.”

Seonghwa listened intently, watching as he pulled out what looked like an old e-reader, before the days of Kindle, which was rusted and scratched. He brushed the dust off of it, making a face.

“Your planet was actually discovered during the period we call the _Great Expansion._ At the time, it was inhabited by a branch-species of saurisapian, so a large-scale extinction event was manufactured to prepare the planet for colonization and resource-development.” Jongho continued, trying a few of the buttons on the device. It powered up for about three seconds before immediately glitching, the screen going dark. “Damn budget cuts—”

“Hang on, are you talking about...dinosaurs?” Seonghwa asked weakly. Jongho nodded. “Wait…so you’re saying your people killed the dinosaurs?”

“Technically, they’re your people, Your Majesty.” Jongho reminded him with a wry grin. He discarded the tablet device, going back over to his shelves and rifling through them. “According to Commonwealth records, this planet was seeded by Aris Industries roughly one hundred thousand years ago. Human DNA spliced with the indigenous species to evolve a fertile population. The ‘why’ is where it gets ugly…”

Seonghwa frowned. “Go on.”

“Basically, the endgame is to grow a population as large as possible. Once the population exceeds the planet’s ability to sustain it, it’s considered…ripe for harvest.”

Seonghwa’s brow furrowed. “Harvest—? Like our resources?”

Jongho pressed his lips together into a grim line. 

“Heads up.”

Hongjoong chose that moment to return to the living room with a myriad of weapons, tossing one over to Jongho. He caught it easily, slinging the strap over his shoulder.

“It’s getting dark.” He looked pointedly at Seonghwa, who noticed at that moment that he still wasn’t wearing a shirt. Red-faced, he looked away as Hongjoong continued. “I recommend you try to rest while you can. We’ll wake you if they come before dawn. Is there somewhere safe Junyoung can go?”

“I’m going to have him hide in the basement bunker until it’s safe for the Servo to extract us.” Jongho said. “When Hwasa’s hired guns get here, we need to lead them away from the house.”

Hongjoong nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Your Majesty, you can have my room upstairs. I’ll be keeping watch down here. I don’t expect to get any sleep until we’re on that Servo transport ship.” Jongho said.

Seonghwa wanted to protest, but then Hongjoong was at his side, beckoning him with one hand while some scary-looking hi-tech gun sat cradled in the other. He frowned, letting himself be led upstairs.

Jongho’s room was somewhat cluttered, with a queen-size bed pushed up against one wall and mismatched dressers on all the others. Hongjoong stood off to the side expectantly, waiting for Seonghwa to…well, he wasn’t exactly sure. Try to sleep? He huffed softly and peeled off his jacket, then toed off his shoes before climbing into the bed, making a show of fussily bundling up in the covers.

“So, what? I just lie here and pretend like everything’s fine while you two stand guard downstairs?” Seonghwa sniped.

“No, m’gonna stay up here for now. I don’t trust the Watchers not to try to sneak in through the windows and assassinate you.” Hongjoong told him, his tone a little too aloof given that he was talking about someone potentially _murdering_ him. “Maybe I’m giving them too much credit, but I’m not gonna risk it.”

So saying, he moved around to the other side of the bed, then flopped down onto the mattress. He sat up against the headboard on the side closest to the windows with that huge gun of his propped up against his side.

Seonghwa went rigid, though he wasn’t exactly sure why the close proximity made him so nervous. He’d felt so comfortable and safe with Hongjoong before, but now…

“M’not gonna hurt you.” Hongjoong mumbled softly. When Seonghwa looked up at him, he could see his eyes were downcast toward the duvet, head dropped forward like he was sad or ashamed.

Seonghwa wondered if Hongjoong could sense his unease because of his Lycan abilities, or if Seonghwa was just being that obvious. Could he _smell_ emotions?

“I-I wasn’t…I mean, I’m not afraid of you, Hongjoong. I was just—”

“You don’t need to explain yourself to me.” Hongjoong said quietly, casting his gaze toward the window. “You should try to get some sleep.”

“I think I’m just afraid to close my eyes, is all.” Seonghwa admitted, his voice a soft whisper.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” Hongjoong assured. “If they come, I’ll protect you.”

“No, I…” Seonghwa sighed, looking up at Hongjoong with an earnest expression that the Lycan could clearly make out, even in the dark. “I guess I’m just afraid that if I go to sleep, I’ll wake up and have imagined all this. And maybe that would be a good thing, you know, that crazy space gremlins aren’t trying to murder me or whatever, but…it would mean you aren’t real, and that I never really met you.”

Hongjoong let out a soft huff of a laugh. “I don’t know, seems like a good trade off, if you ask me.”

Seonghwa frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t think so. But that probably seems stupid to you, huh? Maybe I’m just that pathetic—”

“I don’t think you’re pathetic.” Hongjoong mumbled.

Seonghwa gave a mirthless laugh. “I definitely feel pathetic. I don’t know…maybe it’s just because I’m desperately lonely since I’ve had the same two friends for over ten years and they’re in love with each other, so no matter how much space they promise they leave for me, I still feel like I’m intruding on their life and feel guilty that they’ve had to take on the burden of housing me because they were the only people left in my life who didn’t die in a horrific fire. I worry that eventually they’ll be gone from my life, too, one way or another, and I have no one else at all, so I’ll be all alone and—oh. Oh wow, oh my god, I’m sorry that was…that was uncalled for. I really went on rambling just then…”

“No, it’s fine.” Hongjoong took a breath, letting it out slowly. “Look. I can’t pretend to know what your life was like before all this, I mean, it sounds like you went through a lot, and your friends were there to help you. The thing is that, sometimes…people come into your life for a reason, and sometimes that reason is to fuck you over and teach you some existential lesson, but sometimes it’s so they can be the one to carry you through the hard times. It’s easy to see yourself as a burden to those people, but they’ve got a mind of their own, you know? They can walk away at any time. At the end of the day, it’s still their choice whether or not they’re willing to take on that role.”

“So then…why are you still here?” Seonghwa asked in a small voice. “You can’t get me to your employer through this blockade, and the space police are gonna come pick me up, make sure I get to…wherever it is I need to go to figure this all out. So why stick around?”

“Guess I just…don’t know when to quit.” Hongjoong mumbled distractedly.

Seonghwa noticed, craning his head up a little. “Hongjoong—”

“You really should try to get some sleep.” He cut him off, standing and crossing the room to the bedroom door. “I’ll be just outside.”

“Hongjoong, wait—” Seonghwa tried, to no avail as the door snapped shut between them.

Seonghwa let out a deep sigh, burying his face into the pillow. He wasn’t going to get a _crumb_ of sleep, and he knew it.

***

Seonghwa didn’t know how much time had passed, but Hongjoong’s voice was distant to him next he heard it, as though both of them were underwater. Then there was another voice, and yet another…a child, voice pitched high with worry.

“You’ll be safe in the bunker. Stay there until I come and get you.” It was Jongho speaking, his mind supplied.

The bedroom door opened, jarring Seonghwa fully awake. 

“They’re here.” Hongjoong told him, his expression steely and determined. “We gotta go.”

Seonghwa nodded, quickly getting up and throwing his shoes and jacket back on.

He could spare only a second to feel relieved that he had managed to sleep and awakened to learn that he had not imagined Hongjoong. That relief was quickly buried with fear, however, when they reconvened with Jongho in the living room and discovered their enemy was closer than they’d expected.

“Shit…they closed in way too fast.” Hongjoong growled. “Take him out the back and get as far away from here as you can. Go.”

“Wait, what? We can’t just leave you on your own—” Seonghwa protested, but Jongho gripped his wrist hard and pulled him toward the back of the house. He reached for Hongjoong pointlessly as he was dragged away. “Wait-! Joong—Hongjoong!”

The laser fire began before they’d even made it outside, Seonghwa ducking his head as he tried to keep up with Jongho. As they reached the yard, Seonghwa could just see the corner of the house as it was blasted away by a group of attacking mercenaries. There were at least half a dozen of them, flanked by just as many Watchers.

Hongjoong guarded himself from their laser fire with his energy shield, then tackled the closest one when they breached the threshold of the house. It was hard for Seonghwa to make out what was happening in the chaos, but he saw Hongjoong take down at least one of them, use him as a shield from his buddies, then take the guy’s knife and lob it into one of the other attacker’s eyes. They didn’t seem to be giving him too much trouble.

That wasn’t the case for them. As they made for the corn field, one of the mercenaries came bounding out of the line of crops, wielding a strange weapon that had a huge, short barrel with two concentric circles of lights. When he raised it, the first lit up, then the second, and Jongho cursed.

The blast that came from the weapon rippled through the air with ultrasonic energy that emitted a sound at a frequency so deafening that it took Jongho right off his feet, sending him careening back into a tractor and knocking him out cold.

Seonghwa looked terrified as the man turned the weapon on him, but the moment he did, all of the bees in the immediate area swarmed around him, then toward the threat, agitated as though protecting their hive. He took the opportunity to bolt past the mercenary into the cornfield, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He didn’t know if he was even running toward anything—the road, another home, more enemies—but he knew he had to keep running.

He could still hear laser fire and splintering wood coming from the house. Distantly, he knew that meant that Hongjoong was still alive, and still fighting. It gave him reason to hope.

Seonghwa had been running for what felt like forever, but he was still surrounded by corn with no end in sight. He could hear something coming up behind him fast, and judging by the warbling clicking sounds, it seemed like it was a few Watchers. They were fast and probably had a lot better endurance than some sheltered city boy, so he did the only thing he could think of. He stopped dead, kneeling and trying to breathe as quietly as possible. The Watchers slowed, speaking across the corn in their strange language as they searched for him. Eventually, they ran past, continuing deeper into the crops.

Once they were at a safe distance, Seonghwa stood and doubled back, heading toward the house. He could meet back up with Hongjoong, maybe rescue Jongho, and then they could form some kind of escape together—

Seonghwa skidded to a halt when that same mercenary from before suddenly burst through the nearest row of corn, covered in bee stings and trembling with rage. He swallowed a terrified yelp as he immediately pivoted, trying to run in the opposite direction.

He didn’t make it far. The mercenary fired his ultrasonic weapon, and it knocked Seonghwa off his feet, leveling the corn around them in the immediate area of the blast. His ears were ringing as he tumbled to the ground, clutching his head as his vision swam.

The Watchers caught up and crawled over to him, one of them pushing a familiar gun-shaped device into the flesh of his arm. He tried to move away, but his limbs felt like jelly. He heard the device trill affirmatively, the Watchers tittering in their strange language and brandishing their weapons.

Seonghwa was too disoriented to do much more than weakly try to swat them away, letting out a pained whimper. He was going to die here, in some corn field, murdered by aliens, and he didn’t even really know _why._

Laser fire erupted above him, but not from the Watchers. He looked up and blearily noticed a camouflaged ship warp into view above them, larger than the Watcher ships but smaller than the transport that had been sent for them by Kai Aris. Its guns took out the mercenary with the sonic gun, then the Watchers as they skittered around Seonghwa. Once the threats were gone, three figures dropped down from inside as the hull slid open.

“Hello, Your Majesty.” Said one of them, who looked like half of his hair was neon blue.

“Our Lady requests your presence.” Added the second, a fair blond man with an eerily beautiful face and strange markings next to his left eye.

“You’ll be coming with us.” The third piped up, brushing his lavender fringe from his face.

Seonghwa might’ve protested, had the world not gone so hazy and dark around him before he blacked out altogether.

It had been the laser fire that drew Hongjoong’s attention.

He had just dispatched the last two mercenaries that had swarmed the house before he realized there was a distinct lack of Watchers in his immediate area, and the fact that he did not hear return fire concerned him.

He pushed his way through the half-broken wall of Jongho’s living room, the wooden boards breaking apart easily, already riddled with holes as they were. He scanned the area, immediately spotting Jongho incapacitated in the backyard. Further out into the field, he could see some unknown ship hovering above the corn. 

A familiar scent cloyed through the air. The mercenaries who had ambushed him at the clinic. They were here.

He watched as the tractor beam on the ship activated. The three bounty hunters floated up gracefully through the column of light, with Seonghwa’s unconscious form draped perpendicular between them.

Hongjoong cursed under his breath, boosting his grav boots as fast as they would go and pushing his way through the rows of corn that felt endless. They were too far away, they had too much of a head-start, he was going to be too late to stop them and he’d be stranded on this planet while they took Seonghwa god-knows-where. Just because they hadn’t killed him right away didn’t mean that their employer wasn’t planning something sinister for him later. He had to make it. He _had_ to.

The tractor beam cut off, the opening in the hull starting to retract just as he reached the ship. He leapt, grabbing onto one of the steps and clinging on for dear life as the ship began rising, preparing to portal off the planet. If he didn’t get inside soon, he was going to end up either torn apart by the friction of leaving the atmosphere or lost in the void of space.

Hongjoong snarled, using every last bit of his strength to pull himself up, tucking his legs in just as the hull closed. He braced himself against a crate in the cargo hold as he felt his whole body lurch from the portal jump, jostling his insides. He felt sick, he was exhausted, but he couldn’t stop. Not yet.

It wouldn’t be much longer, he imagined, until they arrived at their destination. He tucked himself back behind a row of metal crates and waited, knowing he was in no condition to take on these three now. Especially not while they had Seonghwa incapacitated.

All he could do was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We might take a small break to tackle another WIP before I crank out the next chapter. I don’t anticipate it will be long, though.


	5. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re back! Please mind the new tags, and let me know if there's any I missed/should add!

Hongjoong lost track of time in the roil of space. He could hear the ship’s occupants talking amongst themselves for most of the trip, though he could only manage to parse out a few snippets here or there. It seemed that this trio of mercenaries were following the orders of their “Lady”, a noble for whom they worked. Given the intel they had, he could only assume their benefactor was none other than the one of the three primary heirs of House Aris…the middle child.

Hongjoong couldn’t discern what her intentions were for Seonghwa, and it made him uneasy.

Eventually, the jolt of the ship entering another planet’s atmosphere jarred him from his thoughts. With a soft groan of exhaustion, he hauled himself to his feet and snuck out of the ship through the back landing gear panel just as it shifted open.

He activated his anti-gravity boots and slipped off of the ship just as they passed over a sprawling alcazar built into a rocky cliff-face. He had been right to assume just who their employer was. He could not claim to know much about the middle child of the Aris Patriarch, but he had heard rumors of her beauty, and he knew that she lived on a planet of perpetual night.

Sure enough, despite the hour, the planet they had arrived upon was swathed in darkness, bathed in the light of twin silver moons. He used the cover of shadow to sneak into the outskirts of the premises undetected, watching the ship land from a distance. He could only hope that the noble’s intentions were not nefarious while he worked out a plan to get Seonghwa back.

***

When Seonghwa came to, he felt as though he was floating. As he blinked open his eyes, he realized that was entirely the case: he was in an unfamiliar room, cradled in some kind of zero-gravity bed. He gasped and flailed a little as he tried to exit the contraption, and it seemed to read his intentions, allowing him to slide out and land on the floor with a little bit of grace.

He took stock of the room once he was standing. It was beautiful—and massive—with ornate archways carved into the wall which looked out onto the night sky and the sprawling palace grounds. He also could not help but to notice that he was wearing new clothing: dark slacks and a loose-fitting shirt that was somewhat transparent, dyed in streaks of soft colors not unlike clouds, or an aurora.

“What is this place…?” Seonghwa murmured, looking out onto the unfamiliar horizon, where twin moons hung in the sky.

“Byulharang. My alcazar. But more importantly, my home.” Came a voice from the doorway. Seonghwa whipped around, freezing in place. “I am Chungha, second primary heir of the House of Aris.”

She was beautiful, this stranger, though she was perhaps older than Seonghwa might have expected; the wrinkles and fine lines at the corners of her eyes and along her mouth suggested she had at least a couple decades on Seonghwa. She was also  _ small;  _ each of the attendants flanking her were more than a head taller than her. Regardless, she exuded an air of authority that could not be denied.

Chungha held out a hand, expectant. Seonghwa took it more hesitantly than he’d intended, still eyeing the men behind her. The men who had been the ones to scoop him up and take him away from earth, if his hazy memory of the fight was correct.

“Sorry, I—it really is quite remarkable.” She said in a rush of breath, not having looked away from Seonghwa’s face.

“W-what is, now?” He asked, finally turning his attention to her fully.

“Perhaps it would be easier to show you.” Chungha told him, letting go of his hand and motioning for him to follow her.

He hesitated, watching that trio warily again.

“Oh, of course. I apologize if my associates startled you. Due to the violent nature of my sister’s response to your existence, I was also obliged to respond with a certain amount of…force.” Chungha motioned to the men standing behind her. “I assure you that they mean no harm, and were ordered to bring you to me alive and unhurt. San, Yeosang, Wooyoung.”

Each of the men stepped up and bowed, offering a respectful, “Your Majesty.”

“Ah—nice to meet you, officially, I guess…” Seonghwa murmured uneasily. “About that, the…violent response to my existence, by your sister. That would be…Hwasa?”

Chungha raised an eyebrow. “Hm, I’m impressed. You’ve done some research. Hwasa is the first primary heir of the House of Aris, yes. My eldest sibling.”

“And why is she so opposed to my existence?” Seonghwa asked.

“As I said, it would be easier to show you.” Chungha replied, beckoning him through the door.

Seonghwa followed Chungha down a series of winding hallways and finally a set of weathered stone steps before they finally arrived at their destination. The trio of mercenaries remained outside the door as the two stepped inside. The room was not particularly large compared to the grander halls, but it was alight with what must have been a thousand flickering candles. There was something reverent about the room…and Seonghwa realized that it was a memorial.

What struck him, however, was the object of Chungha’s mourning. At the center of the room stood the statue of a man dressed in opulent, regal raiment…but what truly stunned Seonghwa was that the man shared his face.

“This is…unsettling.” Seonghwa said, at a loss for words.

Chungha chuckled softly. “Imagine how it is for me, meeting my father once again long after he’s passed away.”

“But I’m…not your father.” Seonghwa replied.

“In a manner of speaking.” Chungha said, inclining her head. “His name was Nephilo Aris. The patriarch of the House of Aris and founder of Aris Industries.”

“But…I can’t be him, I’m just…Seonghwa.” He responded breathlessly.

“Your planet is only just entering its genetic age. I expect you understand very little about what is a vital part of our existence.” Chungha explained. “Our genes have an almost…sacred significance. They are the seeds of our very lives. When the exact same genes appear again in the exact same order, it is called a recurrence.”

“Like…reincarnation?” Seonghwa asked.

“A similar concept.” Chungha agreed.

“But how could I be a reincarnation of your father unless your father was from earth?” Seonghwa questioned.

“My father was born before earth’s first cities were even built.” Chungha responded wryly.

“Are you some kind of…alien vampire family?” Seonghwa asked in a harsh whisper.

Chungha snorted. “We are admittedly the cause of many such myths. But no, my father was just as human as you or I. The difference lies only in our access to knowledge, and technology. Tell me, how old do you think I am?”

Seonghwa made a face as though he felt distinctly that the question was a trap. “Ah…I don’t know—l-late forties?”

Chungha smiled proudly. “I recently celebrated my fourteenth millennium.”

Seonghwa choked. “You’re…fourteen  _ thousand  _ years old?”

“Fourteen thousand and four.” Chungha corrected. “My father was approaching his ninety-first millennium when he died. You’d be amazed at how quickly it passes.”

Seonghwa allowed himself a moment to take that all in, but something was nagging at him in the back of his mind. He tore his gaze from the statue to look at Chungha, who was still staring up at it with a sort of wistful expression on her face.

“If you’re effectively immortal, then may I ask—how did your father die?”

“He was murdered.”

“Oh god, I’m so sorry.” Seonghwa hissed. “Did they ever…catch the killer? Or find out who it was?”

“No.” Chungha shook her head, heaving a great sigh before turning to him with a smile. “My father and I did not always get along…but I had hoped that this recurrence could mean a second chance for us.”

“But I…I’m not him.” Seonghwa murmured.

“You have the exact same DNA. Perhaps you do not have his lived experiences, but fundamentally, you are still him, in some ways. In the only ways that matter, some might argue.” Chungha replied.

Seonghwa didn’t necessarily agree himself.

Chungha cleared her throat, taking Seonghwa’s hands. “Come, let me introduce you to the possibilities of your new life.”

Seonghwa smiled uneasily, but followed Chungha regardless.

***

Hongjoong had made his way into Chungha’s alcazar, but it would still be no easy feat to locate Seonghwa. He was forced to duck around a pillar just as a patrol of android guards marched past, the third he’d seen so far. They were clad in velvet cloaks and had helmets that may have just been built-in hardware, though he couldn’t be certain. There was an awful lot of security for a remote planet, especially given that the only people living on it would have been approved and vetted or hired by Chungha herself.

Perhaps in the wake of all the chaos on earth, she feared retaliation from her elder sister, Hwasa.

Hongjoong could not fault her for that.

Once the guards passed, he continued his way down the hall. He hadn’t sensed Seonghwa for some time…meaning that wherever they were holding him, it was keeping him cut off from the rest of the palace. That could have been something as simple as a zero-gravity chamber in the infirmary or as sinister as an air-tight prison cell. Hongjoong could only hope it wasn’t the latter.

There were floors upon floors in the alcazar, and without any clues, Hongjoong didn’t even know where to begin. He decided instead to seek out the communication tower and get out a message to the Servo. It was easy enough to find: in a palace designed with the elegance and opulence of the old world, it was one of the few locations where satellites and antennae marred the renaissance architecture. He managed to slip inside and deactivate the two androids on guard without alerting them, and within a few minutes, he’d sent a beacon to the Servo with all the information they would need to send their forces for his and Seonghwa’s extraction. 

Now he just needed to  _ find  _ him.

Hongjoong cautiously slipped out of the security tower and back toward the central hub of the palace. He skulked through the shadows to avoid another guard patrol and then…he smelled it. Just a whisper, the barest hint of it in the air, but it was there. Hongjoong scented the air, inhaling deep. Seonghwa’s scent engulfed him, instantly putting him at a strange sort of ease. Humans had often asked him, in the past, what they smelled like to him…but it was rarely something that could be given a name or compared to familiar things like florals or foods or elements. There were scents that clung to people…for Seonghwa, it was the last vestiges of borrowed toothpaste mingling with a frustrated breath of an exhale. It was the musk of stress, of hesitant trust, of the sour tang of fear which had not yet faded. It was the pollen and grass and maize, too. Hongjoong could picture him so perfectly standing beneath the sun among the cornfield and wildflowers, surrounded by thousands of happily-buzzing bees.

Those warm, bright memories faded into the chilled darkness of the alcazar, and Hongjoong inhaled again, just to bask in it. He needed to track him, so could discern its direction from him, but instead, he found himself settling into those memories as though they were a familiar comfort.

In his mind’s eye, Seonghwa stood before him, glowing golden in the light of the sun, and beckoned him onward with a warm smile.

***

Chungha led Seonghwa through several more winding halls, until the two of them ended up in a more central section of the palace, though still several floors down. The room was just as opulent as the rest of the alcazar. Stone archways lining the room gave way to a massive bath carved into the stone at the center, the surrounding columns covered in hundreds of candles. There were ornately-carved screen panels at the back edge, flanked by massive vases that appeared to be cast in bronze. There was a high-tech panel just in front of the bath which seemed almost an anachronism, entirely out of place within the room.

The trio of mercenaries once again stayed outside, guarding the door. They were replaced by a quartet of identical-looking beings clad in ornate clothing. Seonghwa realized at once that they were not human or hybrid: their bodies were constructed with intermittent clear panels from head to toe throughout their limbs, revealing the tech beneath. They were robots…or perhaps androids, given their humanlike appearance.

Seonghwa hovered awkwardly near the wall, not sure what to make of everything.

Another man entered soon after, however, he was clearly organic…though obviously a hybrid. From his feathery hair and birdlike visage, Seonghwa would have guessed he was part owl.

“Your Majesty.” He greeted cordially with a low bow. His voice was deep and gentle. “My lady, you sent for me?”

“Yes. Seonghwa, this is Ravi, my attendant.” Chungha explained. “He handles most of my affairs.”

“You…have a lot of attendants, it seems.” Seonghwa commented.

“Certainly…but the trio to whom I sense you are meaning to include are less my attendants and more a…security detail. Precautionary, given everything that has been going on.” Chungha said. “Most of my other attendants—and guards—are androids. Far less expensive, in the long run.”

She winked at him, and then the android attendants swooped in, divesting her of her rather ornate dress. Seonghwa averted his gaze, his face blazing.

Once Chungha was nude, two of the attendants took both her hands, helping her down into the water. Seonghwa was careful to keep his eyes somewhere respectful, and he could not help but notice that the water was shimmering with an ethereal blue light despite that the only glow in the room came from the candles around them.

Ravi went to the high-tech panel at the head of the room and tapped a few of the controls as Chungha lowered herself beneath the surface.

The water rippled with those same blue shimmers, and when she emerged, Chungha was…young. She no longer had any wrinkles at all, and appeared no older than Seonghwa himself. He balked, his eyes glued to her now youthful, beautiful face as she stepped out of the bath, her attendants immediately coming to her aid. They dried her off with some strange wand device that instantly had her hair falling in soft, entirely dry curls, and soon after swathed her in an ethereal black dress.

“Oh—oh my god.” Seonghwa hissed.

Chungha just grinned at him. “Each of us has a code for our optimal physical condition. The problem is that our genes have a half-life…an expiration date, which is transferred to our cells. A long time ago, a scientist discovered how to replace deteriorating cells with new ones…and nowadays it’s as easy as taking a bath.”

“Hell of a spa day.” Seonghwa commented wryly.

“This technology is the cornerstone of the Aris Industries business model. It is the reason we are the most renowned House in the Intergalactic Commonwealth.” Chungha explained. “On your world, you’re surely used to the powers that be fighting over resources…land or oil or minerals. But when you have access to the vastness of space you realize that there’s only one resource worth fighting over, even killing for. More time.”

Chungha took Seonghwa’s hands into her own. “Time is the single most valuable resource in the universe.”

Seonghwa glanced down at their hands for a moment, and he understood. Despite having known her father for tens of thousands of years, she still yearned for more time with him. It ached in his chest in a way that was far too familiar to him.

“Now, on the matter of your ascension.” Chungha said suddenly, pulling back and beckoning him into the hall. He followed her, the three mercenaries from before joining them again, though they remained some paces behind the pair.

“Ascension?” Seonghwa asked, clueless.

“Yes, you’ll need to claim your title. It’s common for anyone of a noble lineage to leave a trust for any future recurrences. My father wrote such a contingency into his will.” Chungha told him. “Currently, Hwasa owns the title to earth…but once you ascend, the earth will belong to you.”

“I still don’t understand how  _ one person  _ can own the  _ earth.”  _ Seonghwa murmured.

Chungha giggled, shaking her head. “It’s just a planet, Seonghwa. In this world, people own things far more valuable.”

Seonghwa couldn’t really fathom that.

“You cannot know what your life will be like when you’re offered wealth beyond imagining, when you can choose to remain young forever, to change your life and the lives of your loved ones for the better.” Chungha said. “But you will.”

Seonghwa ruminated on that for a moment, though it was not long before he was pulled from his thoughts by a loud trilling noise. A circular robotic device floated by, announcing that there was an intruder alert.

The mercenaries immediately ran to Chungha’s side, surrounding her and Seonghwa just as several android guards clad in cloaks and armored helmets came tumbling down the nearest staircase. A guttural snarl echoed in the hall as a figure leapt down onto one of the incapacitated guards, then rolled forward, standing and training his gun on Chungha.

“Hongjoong!” Seonghwa exclaimed, shock and relief both evident in his voice…though his overjoyed expression gave him away most of all. 

“Ah, you must be the hybrid my brother Kai hired. Well made by the look of you.” Chungha quipped.

The mercenaries readied their weapons, awaiting orders.

Seonghwa startled, jumping between them. “No no no, hey! It’s okay, he’s here for me—Hongjoong, she’s on our side—”

“The House of Aris doesn’t know any side but their own.” Hongjoong growled, not lowering his gun.

“Precisely. And since Seonghwa is an Aris, you can understand why I helped get him off that planet.” Chungha replied.

Hongjoong’s brow furrowed for just a moment as he put two and two together. Still, he kept his gun trained on her.

“He has contacted the Servo, my lady.” Ravi called as he rushed to Chungha’s side, glancing warily at the other hybrid. “They are entering orbit now.”

“I see.” Chungha muttered, her face falling for a moment before she turned back to Seonghwa with a smile. “Well. I had hoped to take you to Crescent myself, but…I am sure the Servo will insist upon handling things from here.”

Hongjoong finally dropped his gun, and with a wave from Chungha, her security detail backed off. The bounty hunter’s voice was still hard when he spoke.

“Let’s go, Your Majesty.”

Seonghwa nodded his assent, Chungha taking his hands one last time.

“I wish for you the life you’ve always dreamed of, Seonghwa.” She said softly.

“Thank you.” He murmured, offering a halfhearted smile as he released her hands.

Hongjoong tossed his chin toward the docking bay and motioned for Seonghwa to follow him, but he stopped suddenly, resolved.

“Just a second, before we leave—”

He turned back to Chungha, crossing the space between them. She looked up at him in confusion, but a moment later, Seonghwa wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a gentle, encompassing embrace.

For a few seconds she stood eerily still, rigid in shock.

“After my parents died, there were so many things I missed about them.” Seonghwa said softly. “But if you asked me if I could pick one thing…just one thing that I could have again, if I would have known that night would have been the last time I ever saw them…I just would have wanted to hug them one last time.”

Chungha’s tension unspooled and she wrapped her arms around him in return, her breath hitching as she tried to hold back her tears.

“I know that I’m not him. But I hope that I’m close enough.” Seonghwa murmured, squeezing her a little tighter before finally pulling back.

Chungha nodded, her throat too tight to offer any words of her own.

“Thank you for all your help.” Seonghwa told her, bowing as he backed away. “I hope we’ll meet again.”

“May the moons guide you.” Chungha said softly, waving almost absently. Her glassy eyes held a faraway look.

Hongjoong could not help but to let his cold stare slip as he turned away with Seonghwa to guide him toward the ship, smiling fondly at the exchange.

***

The Servo ship which had come to extract them was huge…Seonghwa thought it looked more like a piloted space station than anything else.

He was far from being past finding everything new and amazing. Every moment the universe seemed to continue to find ways to impress and awe him.

They were met on the bridge by a handsome human man perhaps a decade his senior, clad in an impeccably-pressed uniform. His black hair hung past his ears only at the back and sides, and beneath his eye and surrounding the back of his head there was a metallic device embedded in the skin. Seonghwa couldn’t discern if it was a technological upgrade or the result of an injury, though he was inclined to believe it was the former.

“Your Majesty, I am Captain Eden. Welcome aboard.”

“Captain,  _ please  _ call me Seonghwa.” He said as he shook the man’s hand.

Eden gave a tight smile but did not respond, as though protocol forbade him from following such a request yet he didn't have the heart to tell him.

“Let me introduce you to the crew.” He motioned to the others around him, uniform-clad just the same. “Babylon is our pilot. Maddox is our engineer and Heize is in charge of communications.”

“Nice to meet you all.” Seonghwa replied genuinely, bowing. When it wasn’t returned, he realized that probably wasn’t a thing in space.

“We also have another guest aboard this flight.” Eden told him, gesturing toward a hologram display. The man who stepped through it was familiar to him, offering a tight smile.

“Jongho! Oh my god you’re all right!” Seonghwa cried, pulling him into a hug, which the other man somewhat awkwardly returned.

“For now, at least, Your Majesty.” He responded with a rather mirthless huff of a laugh. Hongjoong pointedly did not look at him.

“What about Junyoung? Where is he?” Seonghwa asked, his tone dripping with concern.

Jongho cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Far from here, at least until all this mess gets sorted.”

Seonghwa nodded in understanding, squeezing his shoulder in comfort.

“He was the only one left at the site when we arrived on earth in response to your beacon, and when the call came in from Hongjoong, he asked to come along to aid in the extraction.” Eden explained.

“Wasn’t sure if Chungha would give you any trouble. That one’s hard to read.” Jongho admitted.

“She was fine, but thank you. I appreciate it more than I can say.” Seonghwa replied, smiling genuinely.

Eden watched them with a sort of proudly fond expression for a brief moment before something occurred to him.

“Ah, before it slips my mind. You’ll need to see Leez down in Medical for your vaccines prior to our arrival. The environment on this ship is close to sterile, but you’re coming from a planet that decidedly…isn’t.”

“Oh, yeah. I wouldn’t wanna be patient zero, that would make a terrible first impression.” Seonghwa responded with a light chuckle.

“We’ll be seeing you to the diplomatic consulate on Crescent, where you can begin the ascension process.” Eden explained. “If there’s anything we can do to make Your Majesty’s stay more comfortable, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Actually, I’m feeling a bit overdressed, so maybe if you had something I could change into?” Seonghwa asked. “Preferably by myself, while I’m awake.”

The joke seemed to fall flat on Eden, who could not possibly have known that Seonghwa had been subjected to  _ two  _ clothing changes while unconscious without his consent within the last few days.

To his credit, Hongjoong coughed guiltily, looking at the ground.

The captain stayed on the bridge while Heize brought him to medical for his shots, then showed their guests to their rooms. Seonghwa was led to a rather massive bunk that seemed a bit too opulent to belong on what was effectively a space police cruiser, but he supposed it was meant for diplomatic passengers, or members of the Nobility.

Hongjoong had disappeared, presumably to his own room, and it left Seonghwa alone with his thoughts. He felt the sudden urge to clean, just to keep his hands and mind occupied…but the room was devoid of any mess, let alone cleaning supplies.

Eventually, he pulled on the black leathery getup the Servo had graciously lent him, feeling only marginally more comfortable. The pants were fitted to a nearly lewd degree and the shirt provided was a sleeveless tank-top of an equally tight nature. The boots were spectacular, however…probably the most comfortable shoes Seonghwa had ever worn. He immediately peeled them off after trying them on, however, setting them by the door. He supposed being in a room within a spaceship was  _ technically  _ inside, and wearing shoes inside wasn’t something he could abide.

He was just setting them down when there was a hollow, metallic knock at his door.

“Oh, come in!” He called, searching the wall for any kind of mechanism to open the sliding door. He poked around the jamb helplessly. “I don’t really know…how to work this thing…”

Finally, there was a soft chirp and the door swung open, revealing Hongjoong. He wasn’t wearing his leather jacket or his shield gauntlet, though he still had on his anti-gravity boots, and one gun strapped to his hip.

Seonghwa couldn’t hide the smile that suddenly overtook his face as he stepped aside. “Oh, hey.”

“Hi.” Hongjoong murmured somewhat awkwardly, the door closing behind him. He held out a glass of water and a small cup filled with pills. “Leez said he forgot to give you these, but since it’s your first time portalling, you’ll need them. The warp drive can wreak havoc on your internal organs.”

“Oh, right, thank you.” Seonghwa said, taking the pills and downing all of the water. Hongjoong took the empty cups from him, depositing them into a slot in the wall that Seonghwa hadn’t even noticed, and it sucked them up like a vacuum.

Hongjoong seemed to notice all the tension Seonghwa was holding, cocking his head and regarding him curiously. “Are you all right?”

“Not really—I mean, mostly. Just. A little jittery. I clean when I’m stressed. Or when I want to show someone my thanks, as a guest or—it’s the only thing I’m good at, really, so it’s just become a habit.” Seonghwa rambled in a nervous tone, wringing his hands. “But everything here is so  _ goddamn  _ clean…I bet you have robots doing it all here in space, don’t you? Does being a noble mean I can’t clean? Please don’t let them take  _ cleaning  _ from me—”

“I think that’s gonna be the least of your worries.” Hongjoong replied with a lighthearted laugh, laying a hand over both of his. “It would be pretty unheard of for a member of the nobility to clean, sure, among a lot of other things. Your life’s gonna change completely once you ascend.”

Seonghwa swallowed, letting out a distressed sigh.

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow. “You don’t…want it to?”

“I mean. I would have to be some kind of  _ idiot  _ to  _ not  _ want my life to change. On earth I have no identity, no real prospects, no purpose.” Seonghwa huffed. “But…I have friends, the  _ best  _ friends, who love me, and who took me in when anyone else would have slammed the door in my face—”

“You can do whatever you want when you’re Nobility. You don’t have to leave them behind.” Hongjoong reasoned. “There’s…power, in your title. Once you’ve ascended, you can use it however you want.”

“I want to repay them…for all they’ve done for me.” Seonghwa replied with an earnest smile. “I want to repay you, too.”

Hongjoong let out a soft laugh of amusement, grinning.

“What? Is that funny?” Seonghwa asked, offended.

“No, it’s just…I admire that kind of loyalty.” Hongjoong admitted. “Most nobles are more than willing to step on others to get what they want. Truthfully, most of them wouldn’t know gratitude if it bit them on the—ahem—sorry, that was out of line, Your Majesty.”

Seonghwa snorted. “If  _ that  _ was out of line then the last few days have been a disaster.”

“It was life or death.” Hongjoong explained. “And even so, there are protocols…”

“That never stopped you before.” Seonghwa pointed out.

“We’re on a Servo ship now, Your Majesty. The laws of the Commonwealth apply, and while your paperwork might not be filed yet, it  _ is  _ retroactive.” Hongjoong said, stepping back and putting his hands up in surrender. “So, I really should behave.”

Seonghwa followed as if pulled by some invisible magnetic force, his hand grasping once more for that lost connection. “Wait, I…Hongjoong—”

The bounty hunter cocked his head in question, halting.

Seonghwa swallowed, willing his voice not to shake. “What if I…don’t want you to behave.”

Hongjoong frowned, regretful.

“You’re Nobility. You don’t…know what that means yet, but…” He let out a soft breath, a sound trapped somewhere between regret and wry amusement. “I have more in common with a dog than I do with you.”

“I love dogs. I’ve always—who doesn’t love dogs?” Seonghwa blurted out, unthinking. At the look Hongjoong gave him, he cringed. “Wait, it’s—look, I know there are probably a lot of things I don’t understand about the way the universe works outside of the earth, but…you’re a person and I’m a person and I don’t think that where you or I sit on a social pyramid has any bearing on whether or not we should…”

Seonghwa’s words caught in his throat as he realized he’d been rambling. He had developed such a habit of that around Hongjoong, it seemed.

“Should…what, Your Majesty?” Hongjoong asked. His tone was goading and a little cocky, but his eyes were  _ so  _ earnest as he stepped a little closer, well into the other’s space.

Seonghwa felt breathless. He felt a little helpless.

He didn’t know what to do other than to surge forward and kiss Hongjoong, hard.

To his credit, the bounty hunter held firm, anchoring them both even as Seonghwa all but threw himself unceremoniously into Hongjoong’s arms.

Seonghwa would be the first to admit that he didn’t have much by way of experience, but he had a tongue made for sin and he put it to use. Hongjoong couldn’t seem to get enough, chasing his every movement as though he was dying just for a taste of him.

Hongjoong  _ wanted,  _ but despite Seonghwa’s earlier assertions, he needed desperately to behave. He may not have been the unhinged beast the Nobility had made him out to be, but he was on the verge of crossing a very dangerous line.

Seonghwa saw him standing at the edge of that moral precipice and promptly dragged him over it, pulling him in close until he’d effectively pinned himself between Hongjoong and the wall. The metal sat coldly along his back but his skin was blazing hot, a bright flush of heat flooding his cheeks when Hongjoong leaned down to kiss along his neck and jaw.

He let out a low, drawn-out growl as he let his teeth settle over the skin, being careful to remain as gentle as possible despite every one of his instincts egging him on to do the exact opposite. Seonghwa’s scent was intoxicating and every soft sigh and gentle sound the other would make was sending his senses into overdrive.

Even still, Seonghwa pulled him in closer, like he didn’t have a single shred of self-preservation.

When Hongjoong shifted forward again, the toe of his boot hit the wall hard, the metal clang of it reverberating loudly beneath them and causing Seonghwa to jolt.

“Would you take those damn things off? We’re  _ inside.”  _ He hissed.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Hongjoong conceded with a roll of his eyes, the form of address more sarcastic than respectful. He did shed the boots, however; they had a quick release switch near the heel that he tapped twice until they opened with a soft hiss. He stepped out of them, losing a fair bit of his height in the process.

Seonghwa frowned. That wouldn’t do. He fisted his hands into Hongjoong’s shirt and hauled him toward the bed. He didn’t let go until he was lying back on the mattress and he had pulled Hongjoong on top of him. He hovered warily, however, his gaze hungry but hesitant, his mouth slack with concern.

“You’re sure?” Hongjoong asked, more earnest than condescending.

Seonghwa nodded eagerly. “Yes, just—please—”

He started tugging at Hongjoong’s shirt with a sort of desperation that both amused and awed Hongjoong, and he was soon to relent. He leaned back and peeled it off, tossing it off the bed. He was far beyond being self-conscious of his scars…Seonghwa had seen them already, after all, but he still felt exposed in a way that was unfamiliar to him.

Hongjoong relieved Seonghwa of his shirt, next, letting it join his on the floor. Seonghwa was beautiful; all flawless, milky skin and just the hint of muscular definition. He was pretty in a way that was unique to him, and Hongjoong could imagine how beautiful he would look draped in the kinds of jewels and trinkets the Nobility favored. It would suit him perfectly, he knew.

Seonghwa seemed to grow uneasy at Hongjoong’s staring, hauling him down for another kiss, which he gladly obliged. He busied his hands at his own belt, working it off without having to separate…though it was Seonghwa who pulled back a moment later, his cheeks tinged pink and skin flushed up to his ears. 

“Do you…have protection?”

Hongjoong’s brow furrowed in confusion, but he pulled his gun from its holster regardless. “Always, but why?”

Seonghwa stared at him for several long seconds before realizing Hongjoong was decidedly not kidding.

“Of course you don’t have condoms in space. I bet you don’t even have venereal diseases. Wiped them out with vaccines centuries ago, huh?”

Hongjoong’s face scrunched up. “Of course. You still have STDs on earth? Wow, it really is a healthcare cesspool.”

“Yes, thank you for reminding me.” Seonghwa grumbled.

Hongjoong set his gun on the nightstand, leaning down to kiss Seonghwa’s neck. “Don’t worry, you’re in a better place now.”

“You make it sound like I’ve died and gone to heaven.” Seonghwa huffed.

“Well, if I do my job right…” Hongjoong quipped, running his tongue along the curve of Seonghwa’s throat and causing him to shiver.

“Oh, bet you think you’re so damn clever.” Seonghwa gritted out, rolling his eyes.

“Absolutely.” Hongjoong retorted with a toothy grin, leaning up to tap open the drawer in the nightstand. It opened up to reveal an array of interesting amenities, but Hongjoong only grabbed a small plastic bottle before closing it again.

“The Servo have  _ lube  _ in their guest rooms?” Seonghwa groaned, mortified.

“Well yeah, in this room anyway. It’s meant for members of the Nobility, and nobles aren’t exactly known for their sexual restraint.” Hongjoong explained, dropping the bottle onto the mattress next to them before shedding his pants. He took a moment to watch Seonghwa struggle with his own with a look of amusement.

“I am sincerely regretting asking the Servo for these clothes…” Seonghwa grunted, letting his head fall back in frustration.

“Oh, I don’t know. They do you plenty of favors, Your Majesty.” Hongjoong replied with a suggestive smirk, though he still somehow managed to make quick work of those tight pants, all but pitching them across the room, his underwear along with them.

Seonghwa’s breath caught, his cheeks blazing. “Ah—”

Hongjoong cocked his head, watching him with wild eyes. “Oh, you like that?”

Seonghwa nodded, pressing his hand to his own lips and swallowing down a whimper as Hongjoong nipped at the inside of his thigh. When he finally found his words, he could only manage a whisper. “S-say it again?”

_ “Your Majesty…”  _ Hongjoong drawled, running his tongue over the tender spot where his teeth had just been.

Seonghwa let out a stifled whimper, biting his lip so hard he nearly broke skin. That was, until those sharp teeth sunk into his thigh a little harder, his mouth dropping open on a gasp. “H-Hongjoong—”

“I’ve got you.” He assured in a low voice like honey, grabbing the lube from where it was resting on the sheets.

Hongjoong didn’t leave him waiting any longer, perhaps because his own resolve was beginning to crumble. He was gentle with Seonghwa, making sure to keep his claws retracted and taking his time with him, watching for his every reaction. Hongjoong’s fingers were small, but clever, and he was eager to prove it.

Seonghwa was…responsive. He was vocal, though he tried desperately to keep his noises stifled behind his hand. He also couldn’t seem to lie still, writhing and arching under every touch. Hongjoong would have thought that Seonghwa was just putting on a show to egg him on, but his scent told him otherwise: he reeked of arousal and it was driving the hybrid mad with desire.

“Stars above…” Hongjoong breathed, grabbing for the lube again. “Your Majesty—?”

“M’ready!” He cut the other off, nodding emphatically. “Please, Hongjoong—”

“Okay. Okay.” Hongjoong murmured, hissing as he slicked himself up. He was so riled up it was bordering on painful, and pressing into the heat of Seonghwa’s body was the sweetest relief.

Their groans and sighs got tangled up between their mingled breaths as Hongjoong leaned down to kiss Seonghwa again. His hands shot up to grip at the hybrid’s hair, pulling him in as though any amount of space between them was too much. 

Hongjoong struggled to maintain a tenuous grip on his own self-control, refusing to let himself get too caught up in his own senses. They were overwhelming him, his instincts screaming at him to bite…not to harm but to  _ claim,  _ to mark Seonghwa as his and his alone. But that wasn’t his right, his place or his privilege and the thought was purely rooted in his animalistic side. There wasn’t any social significance to such a mark…it would be for him and only him, and he knew it, but by the  _ stars  _ he wanted it anyway.

Seonghwa was letting out sweet little staccato whimpers as Hongjoong snapped his hips, trying desperately to roll down in tandem to meet his rhythm. Every time Hongjoong would press in against Seonghwa’s neck, those slender fingers would tighten in his hair, the sounds in the back of his throat pitching higher in desperation. Every inhale of that intoxicating scent had Hongjoong spiraling deeper into the maddening roil of arousal. He laved his tongue over the heated flesh just for a taste.

But a taste wasn’t enough. He needed  _ more,  _ needed to consume and possess and protect. He latched his teeth over the curve of Seonghwa’s neck and bit down, his fangs sinking in just enough to indent the skin. Beneath him, Seonghwa whined out a string of nonsensical, thready half-words, stilling save for the sudden vibrations that wracked his body as he came, making a mess between them. Hongjoong hadn’t even  _ touched  _ him.

He pulled his teeth off and soothed over the skin with his tongue, groaning. He was barely holding it together, grateful he’d managed not to bite so hard that he’d leave a real mark, but Seonghwa was just pushing every boundary he never knew he had. Hongjoong could feel he was getting close, panic crashing into him when he felt the familiar swell at the base of his cock. He hadn’t popped a knot in  _ years  _ and now—Seonghwa was well and truly ruining him.

Hongjoong wanted to pull out, but Seonghwa whined the second he backed off, hooking his ankles around the other’s back and dragging him in. When he whispered sweet encouragements against the shell of Hongjoong’s ear, the hybrid was  _ done.  _ He came hard with a shuddery groan stifled into the side of his lover’s neck.

Seonghwa trilled in something like pleasant surprise as he felt Hongjoong fill him…it was  _ certainly  _ more than any human could manage, and surely he had noticed the difference. From the fucked-out look on his face, he may have even enjoyed it.

There was a long moment where neither of them moved…Seonghwa content to bask in it and Hongjoong stricken with absolute terror. Finally, the former hummed and shifted as though to gently shove Hongjoong off to one side, but the sudden uncomfortable tug at his rim had him freezing in place. 

“F-fuck what’s—what’s that?”

“No, don’t—we can’t...we can’t separate yet, Your Majesty.” Hongjoong said in a breathless rush, holding him still with a strong grip on Seonghwa’s hips.

“Hongjoong…” He intoned, grave and somewhat chiding.

“Uh, well—”

“Oh my  _ god  _ do you have a  _ knot?”  _ Seonghwa hissed, glancing down before balking at Hongjoong. His face was beet red and he was refusing to look at Seonghwa. “You do, you have a fucking knot.  _ God.  _ Does this make me a furry?”

Hongjoong’s brow furrowed. “How would  _ my  _ knot make  _ you _ —?”

“Nevermind.” Seonghwa cut him off. “It’s fine. This is fine. You know what? This is not even the weirdest thing to happen to me this week.”

Hongjoong buried his face in Seonghwa’s neck. “I’m sorry, I should have said something. It isn’t—it doesn’t always happen, I didn’t think it would—”

“Really, Hongjoong, it’s fine.” Seonghwa soothed, petting over his back and careful to avoid those scars and ports embedded into his shoulder blades. “Y’know, if you were the cuddling type, you just had to ask.”

“S’not about cuddling.” Hongjoong grumbled. “It’s a stupid biological feature that’s meaningless outside of breeding…and hybrids are sterile, so it’s  _ extra  _ pointless.”

“Oh, you mean I’m  _ not  _ expecting? No litter of puppy-humans?” Seonghwa teased. “Too bad, I’ve always wanted to be a father.”

Hongjoong snorted, shoving at him. “You’re awful.”

“Well, I do have three ‘children’ already, so it’s probably for the best.” Seonghwa replied sagely.

“True. Maybe figure that whole mess out, first.” Hongjoong murmured, absently petting at the other’s hair.

“Think we have time for a nap before your dick releases us?” Seonghwa asked around a yawn.

“At least a short one.” Hongjoong told him. “Go ahead and rest…you’ll need it once we get to Crescent.”

“That sounds ominous.” Seonghwa mumbled.

“Bureaucracy is exhausting.” Hongjoong said. “I’ll take a firefight over diplomatic red tape any day.”

“Mm, well, not all of us are badass space werewolves.” Seonghwa quipped.

“Not a werewolf.” Hongjoong reminded.

“You have a  _ knot  _ on your dick, so all the evidence against you is getting pretty damning.” Seonghwa countered.

“Weren’t you gonna nap?” Hongjoong griped.

“Yes.” Seonghwa replied. “Try not to hump my leg after I nod off.”

“You are  _ very  _ lucky the law protects you from all forms of bodily harm, Your Majesty.” Hongjoong sniped.

“Mm, sure.” Seonghwa mumbled in too light a tone, leaning in to kiss his nose. His eyes crossed a bit as he focused on Hongjoong’s face with his teasing little grin and Hongjoong felt his heart stutter in a way that was entirely unfamiliar.

Even after Seonghwa fell asleep, that sweet, content smile remained, and he looked more at peace than Hongjoong had ever seen him.

He wanted to wrap him up and hide him away from the universe, from all the people who wanted to strip that away from him. But that was impossible.

Instead, he held him close in what little time they had together in the peaceful, quiet dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure if I will continue updating this or hop over to Blackfire but you are welcome to bribe me in either direction!


	6. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I leave this alone for long periods but once I sit down to write it, it comes quickly since the main plot is already written for me. So, maybe I'll wrap this one up soon!

Seonghwa wasn’t sure just how long he’d nodded off for, but when he woke, it was to a gentle, but incessant nudging at his shoulder.

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty, we’ll be arriving soon.”

Seonghwa grumbled something nonsensical as he sat up, running a hand through his hair, which was surely a disaster. His neck was home to a bright red bruise distinctly bearing the shape of teeth. Hongjoong flushed and did his best to swallow down the sudden surge of pride and possessiveness that rose up in his gut upon seeing it.

“Mmn… okay…s’there a shower in here?” Seonghwa asked tiredly.

Hongjoong slid off the bed, seemingly unashamed to be in nothing but his boxer-briefs as he crossed the room and tapped an inconspicuous section of the wall. Part of it slid away like a door, revealing an en-suite bathroom.

“I…never would have found that.” Seonghwa admitted.

Hongjoong chuckled softly. “Well, don’t take  _ too  _ long in there, we should be docking on Crescent within the hour.”

“Oh, well, I figured you might consider joining me.” Seonghwa said, biting his lip almost nervously. “Best way to make sure I won’t end up running late, hm?”

More like the best way to ensure they were both  _ very  _ late, Hongjoong found himself thinking. 

But when Seonghwa slid one leg from beneath the sheets to reveal a milky thigh covered in soft pink bite-marks, Hongjoong lost what little self control remained in him.

He crossed the room and tossed the sheets aside, scooping Seonghwa up with little effort. That earned him a soft shriek of surprise, but certainly not one of protest judging by the shy smile on Seonghwa’s face.

Hongjoong fucked him in the shower, careful not to let his knot lock them together again. Seonghwa clung to him desperately as his back was pressed into the slick wall, kissing the other with a sort of fevered desperation. Seonghwa was dangerous,  _ very  _ dangerous, and Hongjoong tried very much to rein himself in as he let his teeth sink into that mark on his neck once more, as though he feared it fading all too soon.

Seonghwa wailed and shook and came between them through gasping, ragged breaths, and never once protested Hongjoong marking him as though the man were his.

To his credit, Seonghwa managed to look completely put together by the time they made their way to the bridge. He’d pulled on the clothes the Servo had given him, plus his own jacket to cover up the rather obvious bruise on his neck. Jongho’s nose twitched the moment Seonghwa walked by him, and he absolutely knew what had happened, judging by the unsubtle glare he sent Hongjoong.

The bounty hunter shrugged it off. He wasn’t going to get into it in front of the entire crew.

Seonghwa stepped up to the front of the bridge, staring out the massive wall of windows as they approached the new planet. Crescent was…crowded. The planet itself was home to cities that were so massive they could be seen even from space, but more than that, entire networks of satellites had been set up like sprawling space stations in the atmosphere surrounding the planet as well.

“Welcome, Your Majesty, to the overpopulated cesspool we fondly call home.” Babylon said with a wry grin.

Seonghwa remained glued to the windows until they docked, when the crew guided him down to the bay doors. A young man dressed in a sharp suit came up through the tractor beam elevator, walking with purpose toward them. Seonghwa realized as he got closer that he was not a man at all, but an android; his head and arms were home to breaks in his synthetic skin where clear panels showed the mechanics beneath, just as he’d seen with Chungha’s attendants.

Captain Eden stepped up next to Seonghwa, leaning over only slightly and speaking in a conspiratorial tone. “I did three tours in the Outer Rim, a battle that cost the lives of two million soldiers, and I’d rather be back there than have to deal with these bureaucrats.”

Seonghwa gave an uneasy smile at that. Apparently his ascension would not be smooth sailing, despite what he may have hoped.

The young-looking android in the suit smiled beatifically at him, too wide and too chipper, with a voice to match as he spoke.

“Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Intergalactic Advocate Mark, and I am here to assist you through the ascension process.”

Seonghwa offered him an uneasy smile, glancing over at Hongjoong…for what exactly, he wasn’t sure. Perhaps guidance or simply reassurance. The bounty hunter gave him a quelling grin, inclining his head toward the android and following right behind him.

Seonghwa at least took comfort in that he was not alone in this.

Weaving through the busy streets was like nothing Seonghwa had ever experienced, and he was having trouble taking in all the advanced architecture and high-tech vehicles with the bustling crowds around him. He had grown up in New York City, had experienced it during some of the most intense tourist rushes, and yet it was still nothing in comparison to Crescent.

Just as one might expect from an overpopulated area, the line at the administration center was…ludicrously long. Rows and rows of people packed in tight like sardines, impatiently awaiting their turn. Mark obtained a copy of the Nobility Code and Conduct guide for him, so Seonghwa spent most of the time reading. It was dry and wordy and full of a lot of legal jargon, but it kept him from going completely insane. Hongjoong, meanwhile, stood right next to him and acted as though they’d only been waiting for a few minutes. He was clearly bored, but he was alert, always skimming the crowd vigilantly.

Every so often, Seonghwa would never assume or accuse, but it almost seemed as though Hongjoong would sway into his space just a little and take a deeper breath than normal. His shoulders would settle, and he’d instantly seem calmer. Seonghwa didn’t dare ask. The hybrid had some strange habits that he as a human would likely never understand, so he thought it was best to ignore it altogether.

It was over an hour before they finally reached the front desk. A middle-aged woman with dark hair, brown skin and elaborate braids sat behind it, wearing a look upon her face that spoke to the countless hours of dealing with the public she’d had to endure.

Mark stepped up still wearing that too-bright smile of his.

“Sheave.” The woman at the desk grunted, clearly unamused.

Mark gave a sly glance toward Seonghwa as he set the sheave upon the desk.

“This is the authentic recurrence of His Lordship the Aris Sovereign, and we have come to claim his title.” The android said in a tone not unlike a boy standing in front of his class during show-and-tell.

The woman took the sheave, sliding into the device in front of her and typing on a strange console for several long seconds.

“You’ll need to file an inheritance petition.” She told him in the same gruff tone. “If the title is held, you’ll need a Transfer of Title.”

“Thank you.” Mark replied with a courteous smile, and they were off.

It was entirely downhill from there.

Seonghwa had enough experience with the New York City DMVs to know they were hell on earth. He’d never had official documents of his own, but he knew well enough from the hours he’d spent waiting in line with his uncle or Yunho and Mingi when they needed a license renewal or some other document. A trip to the DMV was the single most dreaded task for an American, outside of filing taxes, but whatever horrors he’d experienced through America’s bureaucratic process, it could not possibly compare to the nightmare that was this.

Seonghwa had checked out after the first hour in the first line. Hongjoong, similarly, had on an expression that was rather dead around the eyes, but he remained dutifully by Seonghwa’s side. Mark was an android, so Seonghwa didn’t really know just how much capacity he had for humanlike emotions, but even he seemed to be stewing in frustration by the third dead end.

It took them forever, but eventually, after talking to—and bribing—the right person, they made some progress. They received the Title and the right place to go to make it official: Seals and Signets. Mark directed them to the sub-level several dozen floors below, claiming his work was done before taking his leave.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong made their way down in the elevators, managing to find the place with relative ease. They walked into a dusty old office that hardly looked official in any capacity. It was more like an antique shop with strange, unknown technologies likely long since made obsolete.

The man behind the counter seemed to be the type who didn’t get much human interaction. After confirming the Title, he directed Seonghwa to place his arm into a strange device on the counter. Seonghwa was hesitant to do so, but he complied regardless. The device had two rows of little mechanical arms which prickled over his skin like dull needles, and when it was done, it had given him something of a tattoo. It was mostly invisible to the naked eye, but when he lifted his arm just so, the ink glowed as though under a blacklight. It was a circular shape, a ringed planet within the center of a compass rose. The mark of the Nobility.

“Well, then…congratulations, Your Majesty.” The man behind the counter said, grinning awkwardly brightly before his face and voice fell. “And…my deepest condolences.”

Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong in both confusion and discomfort, unsure just what the man meant. Hongjoong didn’t seem to know, either, and the man sat down, going back to typing at another ancient-looking device as though they’d already left.

“Um. Thank you?” Seonghwa murmured uneasily, following Hongjoong out the door.

The air on Crescent was not exactly what Seonghwa would have described as  _ fresh,  _ but it still felt refreshing to walk outside into the open and breathe in somewhere other than the crowded, stifling administration center. He took a long, deep breath, letting it out dramatically.

“I will  _ never  _ complain about the DMV  _ ever  _ again.” Seonghwa blurted out the moment they were outside, heaving a great sigh. “That was hell. Actual hell.”

“Well, you did it. It’s official, you’re Nobility now.” Hongjoong said as though it were some kind of consolation.

“I still don’t even know what that’s supposed to really mean.” Seonghwa murmured, glancing down at the faintly-glowing mark on his wrist.

“It means Your Majesty’s life is going to change. If he wants it to.” Hongjoong told him earnestly. “You can do pretty much whatever you want now.”

“I’m not sure that’s the kind of point you’re gonna sell me on.” Seonghwa teased with a soft laugh. “I don’t know, it just—this doesn’t…it doesn’t change  _ me,  _ you know? It doesn’t change who I am as a person, what’s important to me, or who and what I care about.”

Hongjoong swallowed, nodding pensively.

“I really want to thank you, Hongjoong, for seeing this through with me.” Seonghwa told him, sincere. “You didn’t have to, and you’ve been—well, you’ve been like a rock, for me, through this whole thing. Really.”

“It was nothing.” Hongjoong dismissed, shifting awkwardly on his feet. He seemed to want to continue, having a few false starts before he finally found the words. “I mean. After I threw out my deal with Kai Aris and got the Servo involved, y’know, I still owed it to Jongho to get his pardon and I’m technically still a fugitive so I…well, I was hoping since you’d be Nobility, too, that Your Majesty might be willing to help with that.”

Seonghwa blinked at him as the gravity of that statement washed over him. If Hongjoong was a fugitive, of course he had nowhere else to go. And he couldn’t exactly return to Kai Aris empty-handed.

The pardons. It had always been about the pardons.

Of  _ course. _

He supposed it was better that Hongjoong decided to drop the act rather than continuing to string him along and pretend as though he cared, if his endgame had always been the pardons. And now that he thought about it, it made so much more sense why Hongjoong had gone so far to ensure they’d get to Crescent. He’d been blind not to see it earlier.

“Oh. Right…of course, that’s…that’s why you…I see.” Seonghwa murmured, his face contorting in something like pain. He paused briefly before speaking again, unable to keep the hurt and anger from his voice. “Did you—did you have to  _ sleep  _ with me?”

“What?” Hongjoong asked, blatantly confused.

“I just mean, you know, you could have strung me along without letting me throw myself at you if it was never—” Seonghwa let out a harsh breath, shaking his head. “Y’know what? It doesn’t even matter. I just can’t believe you would—”

“What?” Hongjoong repeated, looking panicked. “N-no, that’s not—that isn’t what I meant at all—”

“Just forget it.” Seonghwa snapped, turning on a heel and stalking off.

Hongjoong, however, was quick to follow. “Wait, where are you going?”

“None of your goddamn business, just go back to the ship.” Seonghwa replied in a clipped tone, continuing to walk away. “Tell the Servo I’ll be back later.”

Hongjoong floundered. “I can’t just leave you out here, you’ve never been off earth let alone on Crescent, this place is a maze and—”

“I said  _ leave,  _ Hongjoong! Do I have to say it’s an order before you’ll fucking  _ listen?”  _ Seonghwa shouted, rounding on him.

Hongjoong froze, swallowing. “Yes, Your Majesty, you do.”

“Then it’s a goddamn order.” Seonghwa intoned, his nose scrunching at the form of address. Something about it disgusted him, now.

When he walked away that time, Hongjoong let him go, even though every instinct was screaming at him to follow.

He stamped them down, along with any hope that he could have ever been worthy of someone like Seonghwa.

***

Hongjoong returned to the Servo ship with his proverbial tail between his legs, not even bothering to track down the captain. He knew he’d never hear the end of it for upsetting Seonghwa so much that he’d gone off on his own on an unfamiliar planet. He couldn’t take getting chewed out a second time.

He ended up loitering by the bay doors, propped up on a small tower of cargo crates. He let his legs dangle haplessly, his anti-gravity boots clashing loudly against the metal every so often.

That’s where Eden found him, sulking. The captain gave him a cursory once-over before heaving a knowing sigh.

“Where’s His Majesty?”

“He told me to tell you he’d be back later.” Hongjoong grumbled.

“You let him go off on his own?” Eden questioned.

“He didn’t exactly give me much choice.” Hongjoong replied bitterly.

Eden gave him a look. “What’d you do?”

“Nothing, I don’t wanna get into it, just—come off it, okay?” Hongjoong sighed, jumping down from his perch. “I’m gonna go look for him. It’s been too long.”

Eden raised his eyebrows, inclining his head. “We’ll wait as long as it takes. His Majesty’s safety is my responsibility until such time that he relieves me of said duty.”

Somehow, despite that no such official order had been given to him, Hongjoong found he felt very much the same.

Thankfully, Hongjoong had the advantage of being a hybrid. Despite the utter pandemonium that was Crescent, with a single deep inhale, he could still track Seonghwa’s scent, even if he were halfway across the planet. But he was still close, he could tell. Seonghwa’s scent washed over him with that same warm familiarity as before, but this time, it was mingled with his own. Even after having showered, his scent still clung to Seonghwa like a claim, and it sent a possessive shiver down Hongjoong’s spine. He’d spent the whole day secretly reveling in it, in catching a breath of that scent and feeling himself tangled up in it as well.

It didn’t take him long to find Seonghwa. He was still near the administrative center, or at least, he’d ended up there again, perhaps when trying to find his way back. He stopped to ask some stranger where he could find the docks, only to be told there were more than a hundred in this quadrant alone. Seonghwa swallowed uneasily and thanked the man anyway before heading back down the road the way he’d already been headed.

Hongjoong took a steadying breath and met him at the corner. “Your Majesty—”

Seonghwa startled, jumping slightly and clutching whatever he was holding to his chest. It looked like a pair of rectangular metal plates.

“H-Hongjoong! I—wait, did you follow me?”

“No, I went back to the Servo ship just like you ordered. But I got worried because you were taking so long, so I tracked you down.” Hongjoong admitted.

“I see.” Seonghwa replied, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

Hongjoong swallowed nervously. “Your Majesty, please, about earlier, I wasn’t thinking and—”

“Would you stop it? Stop—stop calling me that.” Seonghwa hissed, grinding his teeth in an effort to keep the tears that were forming in his eyes from falling.

Hongjoong blinked, at a loss. “What else am I supposed to call you, Your M—”

“My name! I have—I have a fucking name!” Seonghwa snapped, hands balling into fists around the two metal plates in his grip.

Hongjoong swallowed, his jaw clenching. “You know that isn’t how this works, Your Majesty.”

“Fine. Fucking forget it.” Seonghwa muttered, taking a steeling breath. He stepped forward and pressed the two metal plates into Hongjoong’s chest, and the bounty hunter only then realized they were official documents. “Here. The pardons for both you and Jongho. They’re already logged in the system but they gave these as a formality I guess.”

Hongjoong’s eyes went wide in shock. “W-what? Your Majesty—”

“Just take them.” Seonghwa whispered, shoving them against him harder until he finally took them from him. “Now I…I want to go back home.”

Hongjoong floundered. “You—”

“I don’t care.” Seonghwa cut him off, his voice raw. “Just take me back to the Servo ship so they can take me home.”

Hongjoong startled, nodding. “Y-yeah, of course—”

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Came a voice from their left. They turned to see a stranger standing there, a hybrid with large ears and antlers curling back against his head that reminded Seonghwa of a deer. The person standing next to him, however, was not quite as unfamiliar.

“Jongho?” Seonghwa asked in confusion. “Who’s this?”

“My name is Ten, and I work for Lord Kai. He’s expecting the both of you.” The man said in a too-chipper voice, cocking his head.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. They took Junyoung.” Jongho told him with a regretful tone, looking away as several heavily-armored android guards descended, grabbing Seonghwa and Hongjoong before the latter could even manage to fight back.

“What? Jongho? Wait—” Seonghwa cried out as he was seized and separated from Hongjoong, who was desperately trying to tear away from their captors to get to him.

“Your Majesty—!”

“Take them to the ship.” Ten said in a flat voice before turning on a heel and walking off. He tossed a look over his shoulder at Jongho. “Lord Kai thanks you for your cooperation.”

“What about my son?” Jongho shouted after him, thready and desperate.

“Being delivered to the Servo as we speak.” Ten told him, cocking his head once more with a smile. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

Jongho only spared one more regretful glance before breaking into a run toward the docking bay where the Servo ship was waiting.

He could only hope that Kai Aris hadn’t gone back on his end of the deal.

***

Seonghwa was getting tired of being accosted by people he’d never met, swept up and carted to the far reaches of galaxies the scientists on his own planet hadn’t even discovered yet. He was separated from Hongjoong, loaded into a small, elegant spacecraft and brought to yet another unfamiliar location. This time, however, he was brought not to a new, mysterious planet but a massive spaceship which was cruising somewhere in the far reaches of the cosmos. There was nothing but blackness and stars for as far as the eye could see…though if any planet  _ were  _ nearby, Seonghwa knew he could not identify them unless it was one of the familiar eight—or nine, if Pluto still counted—from his own solar system.

Eventually, the guards led him to a tractor beam elevator and simply released him, letting him drop through the floor of the ship with his descent being controlled by the anti-gravity field. His trip to the floor gave him plenty of time to look around: there were cloaked android guards similar to the ones he’d seen on Chungha’s planet standing in perfect rows to either side of a garish red carpet, and at the center stood a man.

He was dressed rather casually, just a black turtleneck paired with gray slacks and no shoes or socks. His hair was styled impeccably, however, and he had an incredibly attractive face, with a strong jaw and full lips. Before Seonghwa’s feet had even touched down, the stranger bowed low with a dramatic flourish of one hand, only raising his head once Seonghwa had alighted upon the floor.

“Welcome, Your Majesty. I am Kai Aris, third primary of the House of Aris, and it is my profound honor to meet you.”

Seonghwa swallowed, trying to keep his tone confident. “You are aware that by detaining me without consent, you are in direct violation of statute eleven-dash-seventeen, subsection eight, yes?”

“His Majesty…is a quick study of the Code of Nobility.” Kai said, amused and taken off guard all at once.

“I spent a lot of time in line at the administration center on Crescent. Plenty of time to read.” Seonghwa replied. “I’m sure you are also aware that I am entitled to file a tax grievance against you if you do not immediately take me where I want to go.”

“I’d be delighted to take you wherever you’d like.” Kai told him.

“I want to go home.” Seonghwa practically growled.

“Set a course for earth.” Kai spoke over his shoulder to Ten, who inclined his head immediately.

“At once, my lord.” He assured, then turned on a heel and headed off, presumably to see it done.

Kai whirled back around with an uneasy smile. “In the meantime, since you’ve invoked Code and Conduct, I hope you’ll do me the honor of dining with me.”

Seonghwa’s jaw tightened in discomfort, but he swallowed it down, nodding. “Very well.”

It felt a lot like dining with the enemy, but Seonghwa knew he had to play his cards right if he and Hongjoong were going to get out of this alive.

Ten continued out of the room, but he did not head for the bridge or navigation. Seonghwa was a human unfamiliar with the life he’d just been dropped into, and he would have absolutely no way of knowing just where Kai’s ship was taking him at any given moment. That worked to his and his lord’s advantage.

Instead, the hybrid made his way to the lower levels of the ship, where their other prisoner was being given a much less cordial welcome.

Hongjoong was no stranger to captivity. He’d spent plenty of time in the brig before being sentenced and tossed out into the Null Sector, so being chained up and led around like a prisoner was not new for him. He was flanked on all sides by android guards, and his gun had been seized, so he had little by way of an escape plan at that exact moment. He could only hope that Seonghwa’s Nobility title was affording him better treatment.

He heard the click of heeled boots on the metal floor behind him, and turned to see Ten stride into the room looking like a cat who got the cream. Hongjoong was loathe to admit the cocky expression looked quite at home on his handsome face.

“The Servo’s involved, you know.” He told him. “They’re probably tracking you right now.”

“We’ve committed no crime.” Ten quipped back.

Hongjoong scoffed. “Kidnapping, detaining a royal—”

“His Majesty is hardly detained.” Ten retorted.

“Where is he?” Hongjoong growled.

“Dining with Lord Kai, of course.” Ten was all too pleased to tell him. He pressed a panel on the wall next to him, which opened a trap door beneath Hongjoong, dropping him into a small, cylindrical holding cell. A tangle of bars shot out across the open space to block him in, and Ten strode over, smirking down at him conspiratorially. “Unless they’ve moved on to dessert.”

Hongjoong snarled, but Ten simply winked and stalked off, taking all but two of the guards with him.

Hongjoong needed an escape plan, and  _ fast. _

***

Seonghwa was supremely uncomfortable.

Lord Kai was certainly one for theatrics. He wondered if all of the Aris children were, given that Chungha had also seen fit to redress him upon his arrival on her planet. Seonghwa was at least conscious when Lord Kai sent his attendants in, however, who proceeded to fuss over his appearance. They insisted he must be dressed suitably for dinner, which Seonghwa didn’t really remember reading in the Code and Conduct guide, but he supposed space royalty had their own form of unofficial etiquette.

The attendants brought him several outfits which were far too garish or fanciful for his tastes, so he settled on the most modest of the options, which was a red velvet suit with a black peachskin button up shirt. In addition to ensuring his clothes were up to par, the attendants also made him up, from his face to his hair. They smoked out his eyes, glossed his lips and swept his hair up to one side in a dramatic swoop that was far more than he ever would have tried pulling off on his own. By the time he walked into the sprawling, opulent dining room where Kai was waiting, he felt ridiculous…and it didn’t help that his host was staring at him as though he were a piece of meat.

“Your Highness looks…rather dashing.”

“It’s  _ Your Majesty.  _ Highness is a rank below mine, is it not?” Seonghwa quipped. He was onto Kai’s game…the other was trying to undermine and placate him all at once, and he refused to fall for it.

Kai seemed surprised to have been called out. “My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“I really don’t care that much about pleasantries, honestly.” Seonghwa admitted. “But I’d like to know where Hongjoong is.”

“I know you do not trust me, now…but I promise I am not your enemy.” Kai told him, waving off the guards who were flanking Seonghwa. He watched as they turned and strode out of the room without a word. Kai held out a hand, motioning toward the table behind him. “Please.”

Seonghwa gave him a once-over before accepting it, following him to the table. Kai was much more put together, now…he was wearing a full tailsuit, all black down to the shoes. He’d also put on an obscene amount of eye makeup, which gave him a much more sultry appearance and made his eyes look much sharper than before.

“Hongjoong and I had an arrangement. He broke our contract, and for that, I promised to return him to the Null Sector.”

“Is that open to negotiation?” Seonghwa asked, giving his best attempt at a charming look.

_ “Everything  _ is up for negotiation.” Kai told him, licking his lips.

Seonghwa did his best not to squirm under the scrutiny of Kai’s gaze, taking his seat at the table opposite him.

“I confess I feel as though I have you at a disadvantage.” Kai told him in a glib tone, leaning forward where he sat.

“Oh, because you kidnapped me?” Seonghwa quipped back wryly, taking a drink of something that looked like wine. He only hoped it wasn’t much stronger than earth’s alcohol, or that Lord Kai wasn’t trying to poison him.

The other let out a huff of a laugh. “From the moment I saw your gene print, I knew so many things about you, because I was  _ very  _ close to my father.”

Seonghwa quirked a brow, stifling the urge to roll his eyes.

“So close, in fact, that I could tell just by the way he raised his eyebrows  _ exactly  _ what he was thinking.” Kai leaned back in his chair, picking up his glass. “At this point, I probably know more about you than you know yourself.”

“Try me.” Seonghwa challenged.

Kai smirked in amusement, taking a drink before setting it back down. “Just like him. Always expecting the worst from people.”

“Well you’re not making the best case for yourself.” Seonghwa replied.

“That distrust in people, in others and even in yourself…has made it difficult for you to fall in love.” Kai said in a tone that was far too condescending for the attempt he was making at a sympathetic expression.

Seonghwa scoffed. “Really? You’re going to psychoanalyse me based on my DNA, with no regard for my life—”

“In the end, it doesn’t matter what kind of life you live. I know just by looking at you that this has been the case for you, too.” Kai responded, smirking. “At least…until now. You’re in love with Hongjoong, aren’t you?”

Seonghwa felt a prickle of shame crawl up the back of his neck, but tried not to let his expression show it. “Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t love. Hongjoong saved my life and I owed him a debt. His only continued interest in me was due to my status. He wanted to be pardoned and reinstated as a Halo.”

“My father was also an abysmal liar.” Kai told him, making a regretful face.

“I am not your father.” Seonghwa murmured, though there wasn’t any heat or strength in it.

“No, you are not.” Kai said with a sort of surety that was a little jarring. “But, suppose I arrange for your savior bounty hunter to be pardoned and reinstated as a Halo. Your debt to him would be repaid, but you would end up owing me in his stead, would you not?”

“You’re making an awful lot of assumptions.” Seonghwa replied in a too-cordial tone. “I have already secured a pardon for Hongjoong and his former colleague. I need only for you to cease detaining him.”

“I—I see.” Kai murmured, appearing at a loss for some moments before regaining his composure.

“Perhaps there’s something else I could offer you in exchange.” Seonghwa suggested. “You’re a businessman, are you not, Lord Kai? Since I suddenly find myself at the head of a very…large industry, surely we can work something out?”

“I’m sure that we can.” Kai responded, clearing his throat. “But first, you should know a little bit about that industry, don’t you think?”

“Chungha showed me what Aris Industries technology is capable of.” Seonghwa replied. “Buying time.”

“I don’t suppose my sister explained it in full, hm?” Kai asked.

Seonghwa frowned. “There was a bath surrounded by machinery…she walked in old and came out young.”

“And that’s all?” Kai pressed.

Seonghwa nodded.

Kai sighed, finishing his drink off before standing. “Come with me.”

Seonghwa begrudgingly followed Kai to a lower level of the ship. He couldn’t help but to look around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Hongjoong, but he had no such luck. Eventually, they made their way to a large storage area. There were stacks upon stacks of cylindrical containers creating neat little pyramids in equally neat rows along the walls. They glowed a soft blue, just like the water in Chungha’s bath had.

Kai took one from the top of a stack and spun it in his grip before handing it Seonghwa.

“What is that?” He asked as he hesitantly took it.

“It has many names. RegeneX, Nectar, ReCell—each branded depending upon the usefulness and quality of the batch.  _ This,  _ being from my own private collection, is the purest and most valuable solution made by the House of Aris.” Kai told him.

“So Chungha’s bath…the water was…this?” Seonghwa asked.

“Naturally my sister didn’t explain what it is or where it comes from.” It wasn’t a question, but Seonghwa nodded regardless. Kai paused, swallowing around the heaviness of the statement he was about to make. “It comes from people.”

Seonghwa looked up, blinking in confusion.

“Each unit, like the one you’re holding there, is refined from approximately a hundred human beings.” Kai explained.

“What?” Seonghwa questioned, his voice raw.

“Your planet is a farm, Seonghwa. There are thousands of planets like yours that are seeded and cultivated by families like mine to supply an ever-increasing demand for more time.” Kai told him. “The planet is left to its own volition until the population reaches its peak, and then it is harvested. The humans are used to create this solution, and then it is sold through Aris Industries. This product is the backbone of the company.”

Seonghwa was barely listening. Instead, he was looking around the room in horror. Stacks upon stacks of bottles just like the one in his hand sat innocuously in their little pyramids, each representing a hundred human lives. Hundreds upon thousands upon millions. All  _ refined  _ to make the equivalent of water from the fountain of youth.

He glanced down at the container in his grip. It suddenly felt so heavy in his hands.

“You said you killed…a hundred people to make this?” He asked breathlessly.

“Not me, but yes, someone did.” Kai answered in a delicate tone. “Not unlike butchering a herd of cattle—”

Seonghwa made a soft whimpering sound, pushing the container into Kai’s hands. He couldn’t hold it any longer. Kai, however, didn’t grab it in time, and it fell to the floor, shattering. Seonghwa gasped, staring at the mess on the floor. A hundred people. A hundred living, breathing people, killed to end up as blue sludge on the floor at his feet. He started hyperventilating.

“Oh—Oh my god—”

“It’s all right, it’s all right.” Kai soothed, gently petting his hands down over Seonghwa’s arms. He wanted to feel disgusted by the contact, but in the moment, it was somehow comforting.

Kai waited for Seonghwa to catch his breath, and it was a short moment before he’d calmed enough that he wasn’t panicking.

“My father went through a profound change near the end of his life. He felt exactly as you do now; horrified, aggrieved, outraged…but when he tried to do something to stop this business, he was murdered. I believe the same fate awaits me because I continued to carry out the work he started. That is why I hired Hongjoong to find you. I needed someone I could trust. I cannot allow either of my sisters to gain control over my portion of the Aris inheritance. I want to know that when I die, you will be my heir.”

Seonghwa let out a shuddering breath. “But I don’t know anything about—how could I…?”

“Ideally, I won’t have to die at all. Ideally, we can work together to end this heinous industry.” Kai said. “It wasn’t until it was too late that I began to understand what my father was trying to do. This business it’s…it’s wrong. He wanted to put a stop to it, but even with all his power and influence, he could not. I firmly believe he was murdered for it. But if we were to combine our assets, it would tip the scales in our favor. We could take control of Aris Industries and shut it all down. Not even my sisters could stand against us.”

Kai held out a hand, an offering.

“This is no small thing. To combine our assets is to enter into a contract which protects us both. It is a binding ceremony which joins us in a way not unlike marriage. But I believe that this is the only way for me to carry on my father’s legacy, and to put an end to the slaughter of countless billions of humans for the sake of business. If you are truly my father’s recurrence,  _ please… _ will you help me to finish what he died fighting for?”

Seonghwa glanced around the room again. The echo of a million massacred humans called out to him. He was new to this life, to this title, to this world…but there was no question. No second thought. He could not abide it. He could not be a willing participant of an industry founded upon genocide. He could not look the other way.

Slowly, he slipped his hand into Kai’s, and shook it.

He would do whatever had to be done to end the atrocities that Kai had brought to light.

***

Hongjoong wasn’t one to give up, but he wasn’t sure he had much of a chance of escaping Lord Kai’s clutches with his life.

The cell they had him in was impossible to crack. The door had nowhere to place leverage, the walls were impenetrable and the guards were androids; not exactly fallible.

He’d gotten used to the silence. Just sitting there, stewing, thinking over a thousand ways to break free once they pulled him out to move him or attempt to execute him. He wasn’t sure he’d have much leeway, especially if Lord Kai tried to leverage Seonghwa’s life against him. That wasn’t legal, exactly, but Lord Kai clearly didn’t care.

He didn’t know how many hours had passed before he heard voices again. It sounded like Ten, Lord Kai’s attendant, but he must have been speaking to someone through a video link, because the other person’s voice was somewhat distorted.

He couldn’t make out the entire conversation. He heard his name mentioned, and something about a son, and he realized the hybrid was talking to  _ Jongho.  _ Jongho had taken issue with Lord Kai detaining Hongjoong, as it hadn’t been a part of their deal. Ten insisted that his lord was not open to negotiating for Hongjoong’s release. The room went quiet again.

Eventually, the familiar click of heeled boots echoed above him, growing closer. When they stopped, he looked up to see Ten staring down at him, holding up a pair of shackles. “Lord Kai will see you now.”

Hongjoong sneered, but allowed himself to be cuffed and hauled out of the cell.

Lord Kai was waiting for them across the ship, standing in front of one of the airlocks. Hongjoong didn’t like his chances.

“Oh Hongjoong.” Kai drawled, shaking his head. “It didn’t have to be this way. Had you followed my orders, I might have allowed you to live.”

“Somehow I doubt that.” Hongjoong gritted out.

“Mm, you’re right. But, if you’d brought him right to me, you wouldn’t have had so much time to  _ fraternize.  _ He seems rather fond of you…it’s a shame I’ll have to break his heart when I tell him all of his efforts were in vain, because we had to put you down after you  _ viciously  _ attacked another member of the Nobility.” Kai let out an overly-dramatic sigh. “But from the looks of things, you  _ already  _ broke his heart. What a pity.”

“You should’ve told me the truth about why you wanted him.” He growled, baring his teeth.

“What good would that have done? You already managed to use him as a bargaining chip and a free pass with the Servo without even trying.” Kai scoffed. “No, lies…lies are a necessity.”

Kai tapped a panel on the wall, and the inner door to the airlock opened. He motioned to the guards, who shoved Hongjoong through at gunpoint.

“I’m particularly fond of the lies we tell ourselves.” Kai continued. “For example, the lie you are now concocting that  _ somehow  _ you will survive being tossed into the void and find some way to rescue Seonghwa.”

Hongjoong bristled. “You can’t kill him. The title will just remain in limbo until his next recurrence.”

A devious smirk overtook Kai’s face. “Not once His Majesty and I are bound. We sign the paperwork tomorrow.”

Hongjoong realized then that Kai had every intention of murdering Seonghwa once the ceremony was complete.

He lunged at the same time that Ten slammed his fist against the wall panel, shutting the door in his face. Kai reached over and pressed another panel on the opposite side, opening the outer door. Hongjoong struggled as he was sucked out of the room, trying to catch his boots on one of the rungs in the wall. Instead, the emergency packs embedded into the side panel released and knocked him loose, sending him hurtling into the void along with them.

Hongjoong floated weightlessly, helplessly as he watched Lord Kai’s ship make the portal jump to somewhere that was surely halfway across the universe, leaving him to suffocate in the emptiness of space. He was going to die, but worst of all, he was going to let Seonghwa die.

Somehow, it was that thought more than anything that clung to him, burrowed in deep and chewed right through his heart.

Seonghwa was going to die, and it was all his fault.


	7. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? An update so soon? Writing brain go brrr I guess, enjoy it while it lasts!

Hongjoong had never been one to cling to hope.

He was a realist, above all, and a pessimist on most days. He wasn’t one for deluding himself, wasn’t one to convince himself that everything would be all right when all the evidence pointed to the contrary. He had spent years in the Null Sector laying low, avoiding others and moving to prevent being caught by raiders. When he left the Halos, he’d been allowed to keep just two things: his boots, and his gauntlet. Emblazoned with the logo of the Corps, anyone in the Sector would have made him for a disgraced soldier. Any one of them would have killed him to get their hands on that tech.

Hongjoong had spent all those years running,  _ surviving,  _ in a time when he had no one to fight for but himself. It felt such an empty reason, now. Why had Hongjoong fought so hard for so many years just to live a life of solitude and desolation? Was it some miniscule hope of redemption? Had he clung to the idea that one day, he might be able to pay Jongho back for ensuring he’d been spared, instead of being put down like the rabid dog the higher-ups believed him to be?

He supposed there was no better time to ruminate on his past motivations, floating through space while mere minutes from death. There was no use in clinging to those lies Kai had taunted him about, the delusion that he could somehow survive, somehow make it back to the ship that was long gone, make it to Seonghwa in time to save him… 

But Hongjoong wasn’t very good at giving up, even when the odds were stacked against him.

He was still spiraling, floating in slow loops from the inertia of being sucked out of the airlock…and drifting around him were the emergency survival packs he’d knocked loose from the ship.

Hongjoong decided to delude himself, one last time.

He bent backwards as far as he could, lining up the shackles binding his wrists with his boots before activating them and pushing  _ hard.  _ It took a few seconds, but the cuffs shattered under the force, floating away into the void.

Everything around him was silent and cold, only the twinkling of distant stars surrounding him. He struggled to reach for the emergency packs still ebbing around the area. He knocked away several when they skirted his fingertips, just out of reach. Finally, after a few failed attempts, he managed to snag one and press it to his chest, activating it just in time.

The pack burst open, wrapping him up in a pressurized suit that was mostly made of a poly-rubber blend with solar refractors throughout and a plexiglass shield over the face. It fogged up when he took several quick, sharp breaths, trying to reoxygenate his blood after nearly suffocating. The suit’s stabilizers activated, stopping his inertia and holding him in place. The rest of the packs continued to tumble away into the void of space.

_ “Emergency pressurization complete. You have thirty minutes of air remaining. Please get to an airlock or lifepod immediately.” _

The robotic feminine voice echoed in the small speaker built into the headgear, more of a warning than a comfort.

For a moment, though, he could pretend he wasn’t alone out there in the void of the cosmos with no semblance of a plan and no hope of being rescued.

But he’d bought himself thirty more minutes, and he’d managed miracles with less.

Maybe he could lie to himself for just a little longer.

***

Seonghwa stood in front of a massive, ornate mirror in the room Kai had designated as his for the purpose of his stay on the ship. He supposed it might be his for a little longer, too, after they were bound by this ceremony. It was far too opulent for his tastes, and despite that the bed was the single most comfortable object he’d ever had the pleasure of lying upon, he’d barely slept a wink. Kai’s attendants had to work extra diligently to cover the dark circles he’d developed. They went overboard with his makeup, too: darkening and sharpening his brows and smoking out his lids with glittering shades of red, finished off with sharp liner.

He’d been presented with a number of clothing options, all of which were rather ridiculous, in his opinion. When he’d agreed to join forces with Kai to work toward ending the egregious practices of the RegeneX industry, he’d expected it to be done at a conference table with some space lawyers present or something. When he’d claimed it was a ceremony similar to a marriage, he’d figured Kai was referring to the legal stipulations, not the fanfare.

Judging by the princely getups being paraded in front of him, he was mistaken.

Seonghwa was still wearing the incredibly comfortable navy blue silk pajamas he’d been provided the night before, but he’d settled on the simplest outfit choice for the ceremony. It was a white and cream ensemble with gold trimmings, encrusted with jewels along the lapels, hems and shoulders. He’d decided to delay changing into it when Kai waltzed in wearing an outfit that was clearly chosen for comfort; a chunky sweater and soft pants.

“I didn’t realize this was such a formal affair.” Seonghwa said, running his fingers over the patterned fabric of the jacket he’d chosen. It sat on a mannequin, waiting for him to change into it.

“Well, as I explained, it’s not unlike a marriage. The ceremony is quite similar, in fact.” Kai explained. “However, most unions are not for the sake of love or affection, as they are on your planet. Though I of course would not rule it out, in our case.”

Seonghwa raised a questioning eyebrow at that, choking on a breath.

“Don’t act so surprised.” Kai rebuked. “I would have to be a fool not to notice how gorgeous you are. That neck of yours is…utterly enticing…”

“Just yesterday you were telling me how much I was like your father.” Seonghwa muttered. “Isn’t that a little…weird?”

“Afraid I’ll start calling you ‘daddy’ behind closed doors?” Kai teased, smirking wryly.

Seonghwa swallowed down the urge to vomit, grimacing. “Is kinkshaming considered taboo in space? Because—”

“Right, sorry. My humor’s always been questionable.” Kai admitted, stroking his knuckles over Seonghwa’s jaw. “My taste in lovers, however…well. I may not discriminate, but I  _ am  _ a man with high standards.”

Seonghwa wrenched away, barely suppressing a shiver as he sat down at the nearby vanity. “Maybe this arrangement isn’t the best idea after all—”

“Relax, Seonghwa…as I said, it isn’t a prerequisite to this arrangement.” Kai assured, crouching before him and resting a quelling hand on the other’s knee. The touch was only chaste for a moment, however, as his hand soon began to creep up to caress the long line of his thigh, up, up toward his hip. “Though I will admit it would be a shame…if I could not have you at least once…”

Seonghwa shot out of his seat, crossing the room to fiddle with the jewelry the attendants had left out for him…anything to get away from Kai’s eager attention.

“We’ve only just met. Maybe more than just one dinner, first, hm?”

“Did you and Hongjoong have many dinners together?” Kai asked in a suggestive tone, sidling up behind him. He slipped his hand over Seonghwa’s collar, pulling it aside to reveal the bruise on his neck. “Enough that you allowed him a taste?”

Seonghwa bristled, pulling away and moving to the far end of the table. “You still haven’t released him. I—I would like to speak with him.”

Kai held his breath, wringing his hands and glancing to the side nervously. “I…wanted to wait until after all this was over to tell you. I didn’t want to upset you.”

Seonghwa’s blood turned to ice in his veins. “Upset me how? Why?”

Kai swallowed, giving a regretful grimace. “He attacked an attendant and destroyed a swath of guards. Given his history, I was advised to return him to the authorities. I suspect they’ve thrown him back into the Null Sector by now, if they haven’t been forced to put him down already. He was…rabid by the time we sent him off. I’d be surprised if he was still alive.”

“O-oh…” Seonghwa murmured, looking away. Even after learning that Hongjoong had only used him to get the pardons, it still devastated him to learn he might’ve been killed. Like having his heart ripped out. Just…emptiness.

“In the grand scheme of things, the life of one hybrid means very little to me compared to the lives of my subjects.” Kai said. “And…if things are left the way they are, the number of casualties—”

“I understand.” Seonghwa whispered, swallowing down the lump that had formed in his throat. “I’ll sign whatever’s needed, I’ll do this ceremony, I…I’ll help you save those people.”

“Thank you.” Kai responded in a heavy tone, giving him a deep bow. “I’ll see you again once everything is prepared. Until then.”

Seonghwa watched him stride from the room, but the dread and despair settling in the pit of his stomach did not ebb.

He glanced down at the mark of Nobility glowing faintly on his wrist, and felt the weight of worlds he’d never met fall squarely upon his shoulders.

He’d always wanted his life to mean something. He’d always wanted to be someone, someone with an identity and a purpose. He never could have imagined his purpose would be this…but it was a burden he was willing to bear.

***

Hongjoong only knew how long he’d been floating out in the starfield for that sweet, robotic voice reminding him every five minutes how long he would have oxygen for.

Things started to get hazy after it helpfully announced he had no air remaining for the third time in as many minutes.

What he was breathing at that point was his own CO2. It was stale and humid and within a few more minutes, it was going to kill him. But all he could think about was  _ him. _

Seonghwa.

Like he’d taken a deep breath and gotten a lungful of his scent, he could picture him just the same. Laughing in the golden hour surrounded by a thousand buzzing bees. Scared, but trusting, reaching out for Hongjoong to save him. Beneath him, shuddering and consumed by raw ecstasy. If these were his last thoughts as a dying man, he could die a less miserable one.

But Seonghwa was in danger. Seonghwa was going to die if Hongjoong didn’t find a way to rescue him.

And that would be on him.

That voice in his headset warbled and crackled on the next warning. The power of the suit was waning without any sunlight to power it. It went silent. Everything went quiet and dark.

Sound didn’t travel in space.

Hongjoong couldn’t hear the ship breaching through a portal behind him. He barely caught the refraction of light against his face shield…his vision had gotten too blurry. He barely heard the voice of a ship’s communications interface linking with his emergency suit through the static, announcing they were tracking his beacon, something they were all equipped with for ships to find them within a short range.

The next thing he remembered was all the sound rushing back to him, and sweet, sterile air.

There were hands all over him. He was hauled onto a gurney, and a respirator was pressed against his face, encouraging his lungs to replace all that CO2 with oxygen. There were voices overlapping, something about his vitals, his condition, and then he finally saw them.

Eden. Heize. Babylon.

It was the Servo. They’d found him.

“Is he alive?” He heard Eden ask desperately.

“Yes, but a few seconds more and he wouldn’t have been.” Babylon told him, keeping the oxygen mask pressed over Hongjoong’s mouth and nose despite that he was squirming, trying to knock it loose.

“He’s gonna kill him. H-he’s gonna kill him—” Hongjoong slurred, trying to sit up.

“Get him to medical! And get me a location on Kai Aris’s ship,  _ now.”  _ Eden ordered.

“Sir!” Heize piped up, breaking off to head toward navigation. Babylon remained with Eden, taking Hongjoong down to medical as ordered.

“How’d—h-how’d you find me?” Hongjoong asked as he was rolled down to medical and moved onto a treatment table.

“Your friend. Jongho made a call to Kai Aris’s attendant to plead for your release…and we traced the call.” Eden explained. Leez came running over, getting his equipment set up to monitor Hongjoong’s vitals.

“Where is he now?” The hybrid asked, letting the medical officer relieve him of his shirt and stick the censors to his chest.

“Lockup.” Eden said in a dark tone. “He sold you and His Majesty out to Kai Aris. He’s an accessory to his kidnapping.”

“You’re gonna have to release him.” Hongjoong argued, leaning over to pull the two metal plates Seonghwa had given him from the lower side pocket of his cargo pants. He handed the pardons to Eden. “I’m gonna need him to help me get Seonghwa back.”

“Breathe in.” Leez said, and Hongjoong obeyed distractedly as a stethoscope was pressed into his chest.

Eden scoffed. “You want to go into battle with a man who betrayed you?”

“He did it to save his son.” Hongjoong reminded him. “Is Junyoung safe now?”

“In protective custody. The Aris family won’t be getting near him again.” Eden assured.

Leez was shining a flashlight in Hongjoong’s eyes, monitoring the dilation of his pupils. He held up the device once he was done, tracking it across his line of vision. “Follow this for me.”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes before he obeyed. “Good, then spring Jongho loose and get him down here.”

Eden frowned. “Are you sure—?”

“You got anyone else on board who can break through a field of warhammers?” Hongjoong asked.

“Fine.” Eden sighed, crossing the room to make the call. “But on the record, I advised against this.”

“Whatever helps your conscience.” Hongjoong grumbled, waving him off.

“If you don’t sit still I’m gonna strap you down.” Leez hissed, grabbing his arm and slipping a sleek band over it to test his blood pressure, among other things.

Hongjoong sighed, but conceded, stilling.

It was only a few minutes later that Jongho strode into the medbay, fidgeting nervously with his hands in his pocket. He barely met the other hybrid’s eyes before looking away.

“Jongho.”

“Hongjoong.” He responded, clearing his throat. “About before—”

“I don’t need an apology.” Hongjoong dismissed. “I just need your help.”

“I’m in.” Jongho agreed.

“S’gonna be dangerous. Kai Aris has one of the largest fleets of warhammers on record. Could get dicey.” Hongjoong warned.

“Well, I owe you. And His Majesty.” Jongho murmured.

Hongjoong inclined his head. “All right.”

Eden crossed his arms. “What will you need?”

“Cover fire, two of your fastest cutters and a casket for Kai Aris, for once I get ahold of him.” Hongjoong growled.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that last part.” Eden muttered.

“One more thing.” Hongjoong said, his eyes scanning the walls. “You guys run a fully-functional surgery center here?”

“You bet.” Leez answered. “We can do everything here from mend major wounds to outfitting Halos.”

“Good. That’s what I’m after.” Hongjoong told him. “I’m gonna need my wings.”

“We don’t have the time.” Leez argued. “You’ll still be on the table by the time we reach Kai Aris. It’s a  _ twelve hour _ procedure.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” Hongjoong said.

Leez stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head. “No. Oh no. Don’t even suggest—listen. The first versions of these bio-prosthetics were installed on an experimental basis and it was  _ agonizing  _ for the subjects. The techniques we use today were developed to make the process bearable and humane.”

“The procedure only takes twelve hours when installing the ports,  _ and  _ when connecting the nerve endings individually to prevent too much discomfort.” Hongjoong countered. “I already have the ports. I just need you to wire in the wings.”

“That’s still a four hour procedure, at minimum!” Leez snapped.

“Only if you connect the nerves one by one.” Hongjoong reasoned. “Not if you do them all at once.”

“Were you even listening?” Leez balked. “The pain that causes is excruciating!”

“I don’t give a fuck about pain.” Hongjoong snarled. “But I’m gonna need my wings back if I’m going up against a battalion of fully-armed royal guards.”

Leez took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. “Hongjoong, listen. I can’t put you under or even numb you up. You have to be awake and uninhibited to test the neural bond as they’re connected. It’s not…it’s too much for anyone to bear.”

“We don’t have time to argue about this.” Hongjoong hissed. “Please.”

Perhaps it was the sheer desperation in his tone that won him over. Perhaps it was the thought of someone else’s life being at stake…but after a long, tense moment, Leez gave a shaky nod.

“Fine. But no matter how loud you scream, once I start, I can’t stop. You’ll have to ride it out.”

Hongjoong nodded. “Whatever it takes.”

Leez sighed, peeling the monitor off of Hongjoong’s arm. “All right, everyone out. I need to prep for surgery.”

Jongho backed out of the room, but Eden made his displeasure known by the look on his face as he stalked out. Hongjoong didn’t particularly care.

He’d do anything he had to, to get Seonghwa back.

Whatever it took.

***

Seonghwa fiddled with the hem of his jacket uncomfortably, standing in front of that large mirror again. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.

He wasn’t sure if he could do this.

Maybe he was out of his mind. Maybe he wasn’t thinking clearly, after the whirlwind of the last few days. Attacked, nearly killed, swept up and carted across the universe, kidnapped, abandoned,  _ used _ …somehow, that hurt the worst.

It hurt to know that the one man who had been there for him through it all, who had shielded him, protected him…had also used him. And then he’d been taken away from him, because he couldn’t keep his head together long enough for Seonghwa to bargain for his release.

Hongjoong was probably dead, and maybe Seonghwa shouldn’t have cared so much, after Hongjoong admitted all he was after were those pardons. But he couldn’t help it. The bounty hunter had done so much for him, and he’d never really managed to repay him. Especially if getting those pardons had been for nothing, if he’d been shipped right back to the Null Sector or put down, as Kai had suggested.

Seonghwa startled when the door opened and Kai strode in. He was still dressed for comfort, which struck him as strange. Maybe he’d jumped the gun by getting into his garb so early.

Kai appeared to have no complaints, however, giving him an appreciative once-over.

“Your Majesty looks…absolutely enchanting.” He drawled, sounding a little breathless as his eyes raked over the other. Seonghwa felt his skin crawl.

“I-is everything ready?” He asked nervously, trying to change the subject.

“Not quite. I’m afraid there’s an awful lot of paperwork, and it’s still being drafted.” Kai told him with a regretful sigh. “I thought I could keep you company in the meantime.”

“Ah…is that not bad luck?” Seonghwa questioned, trying to sound coy but falling short in his trepidation.

“Perhaps on your planet. At least in some cultures.” Kai responded, looking at him in a way that was almost patronizing. “For us, the hours before is where all the fun should be had…”

“Ah…I thought that these types of ceremonies weren’t usually about affection?” Seonghwa stammered, moving away when Kai edged into his space.

“They aren’t.” Kai said easily. “Love and pleasure are very different things.”

“Right.” Seonghwa murmured, swallowing.

“Still not interested?” Kai asked in a too-innocent tone.

Seonghwa floundered. “I…uh. I’m flattered, but…”

“But.” Kai repeated, looking at him regretfully. “Tell me…what is the greatest source of your trepidation?”

“U-um…”

“Is it our connection?” Kai asked, sliding into his space again. “Because you should know that…it isn’t such a taboo. While you may share the same genetic code as my father, you are, as you have stated repeatedly, not him. The law reflects that.”

Seonghwa frowned, looking away. He didn’t even know what to say to that.

“Or…” Kai continued, watching his face carefully. “Is it because of our dear bounty hunter? Hm?”

Seonghwa flinched involuntarily.

“You claimed it wasn’t so, but…your silence speaks volumes.” Kai told him. “It’s written all over your face.”

“Kai…”

“I could make you forget all about him.” He cooed, a promise that sounded like one from the lips of a devil. “One night with me…and you’ll forget you ever even knew him at all.”

When Kai raised his hand to stroke his fingers across Seonghwa’s jaw, he moved away, putting as much space between them as he could manage.

“Again, I’m flattered.” Seonghwa murmured, breathing shakily. “But I…think it’s best if we talk after the ceremony.”

Kai gave a sigh of disappointment, his shoulders dropping. “Very well.”

He spared one more almost longing glance toward Seonghwa as he made his way to the door.

“Later, then.” He promised, and then he was gone.

Seonghwa suppressed a shiver, going back to the vanity to sit down and collect himself.

He wasn’t sure how he was going to get through this, but he knew he had to. It would be selfish to back out now. Billions of lives were at stake.

***

“Do we have a location on Kai Aris’s ship yet?” Eden asked, his tone terse as he strode onto the bridge.

“Yes, captain.” Heize told him. “We tracked the signature left by the portal they used…our own is prepped to follow, on your order.”

“Stand by. We make the jump when the cutters are prepped and ready to drop. Warm up the cannons.” Eden said.

“Yessir.” She agreed, nodding and going to see it done.

A bloodcurdling scream pierced across the ship, echoing through the metallic halls. It was followed by another, strained but just as pained.

Hongjoong.

Eden sighed regretfully, turning to their other guest. “Jongho, will you check in on the cutters, make sure they’re ready for the two of you?”

Jongho scoffed. “Will he be in any condition?”

“You know him better than I do.” Eden muttered.

Jongho sighed. “I once saw Hongjoong take the brunt of an explosion from a flashfire bomb. Third degree burns down most of his left side. It was a rescue mission: the child of a diplomat had been taken by a jilted business rival.”

“What happened?” Eden asked.

“We were in the middle of extraction and Hongjoong—this  _ lunatic  _ snaps up the kid on his good side and just…keeps going. Like it was  _ nothing.  _ Got the kid to the LZ, hands him over to the boots and then calmly asks to see a medic. I don’t know how he was even still standing.” Jongho scoffed, shaking his head. “Later, when they were patching him up…he told me it was the worst pain he’d ever experienced in his entire life.”

“But it didn’t matter. Because someone needed him.” Eden said breathlessly.

Jongho nodded. “He’ll do it. He’ll fly that cutter right through those warhammers. The only question is if he’ll be in any kind of shape to come out of it alive.”

Eden sighed, rubbing at one temple. “Am I sending the two of you on a suicide mission?”

“Probably not.” Jongho huffed a laugh. “Hongjoong on his worst day could still give any pilot in the Corps a run for their money on their best.”

With that, he waved the captain off and headed down to the hangar to check on the cutters.

He hadn’t been there for fifteen minutes before Hongjoong came striding in, grimacing and rolling his shoulders.

“Hey. How’s our outfit look?”

Jongho rounded on him, balking. “Did you even take five after he plugged those back into you?”

Hongjoong’s wings were deactivated, but the metal radius structures were visible where they were tucked against his back.

“Don’t have the time. After all this, I promise I’ll take a nap.”

Jongho scoffed, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“And you’re ignoring my question.” Hongjoong bit back. “How’s our outfit.”

“The best cutters your galactic taxes can buy. Good machines. We’ve got a shot.” Jongho told him. “Now get in. We’re launching as soon as we breach the portal, and we breach the portal when you and I are in position.”

“Copy that.” Hongjoong agreed, climbing into the small ship.

Jongho got on the radio as the two of them booted up their systems. “Servo command this is cutter two, we are initiating launch protocols.”

“This is cutter one, confirming.” Hongjoong chimed in.

“You’re already out of surgery?” Eden hissed over the line.

“Wasn’t my first time interfacing with the wings so the musculature connected like a breeze. The nerves hurt like hell but nothing I couldn’t handle.” Hongjoong explained. “Confirm launch sequence.”

“Breaching the portal in five.” Eden responded, though he clearly wanted to say more. “Godspeed, gentlemen.”

After five seconds, the ship trembled as it breached the portal, and not another full second later, the hangar opened beneath them, allowing their cutters to launch.

Heize’s voice came through the intercoms, broadcasting to all devices within the frequency’s range.

_ “Aris Clipper EX-Zero, this is the Servo. Cut your engines and prepare to be boarded.” _

No response. Then, the large cannons along the top edge of the ship activated, rising into their ready position and taking aim but not yet firing.

“I knew he wouldn’t surrender.” Hongjoong muttered.

“Couldn’t make my day a little easier, huh?” Jongho grumbled, cracking his neck. “On your signal, cutter one.”

Hongjoong tightened his grip on the handheld controls, flexing his fingers.

He had to get to Seonghwa before it was too late.

***

Seonghwa was flanked on either side by android guards as he made his way to the ceremony, just as he was every time he stepped outside of the room Kai had assigned to him. The room he was led to was massive, with vaulted ceilings made of glass. The walls were lined with rows of balconies, at least ten stories high. Seonghwa assumed they must have been near the front of the ship, since all that was visible beyond the windows were the stars.

There was a huge table at the center of the room where several androids dressed in sharp suits stood waiting. Ten was off to one side with Lord Kai, and the latter waved off Seonghwa’s guard detail once the door was shut behind him, the cloaked figures moving to stand in front of it. There were more guards posted around the room…at least a dozen.

“Now we can finally begin.” Kai spoke in a too-jovial tone, smiling brightly. Seonghwa barely managed a grin of his own in response, moving to join them by the table.

Ten’s ears perked up, suddenly, as he received a transmission through his hidden comm. He cleared his throat, leaning in toward Kai.

“The Servo are demanding to board, sire.” Ten whispered.

Kai swallowed, leaning in closer and lowering his voice. “Do what you must but keep them off this ship.”

Ten nodded uneasily, activating the microphone on the device around his wrist. “Deploy the warhammers. No one gets through.”

Seonghwa looked between the both of them as he approached, sensing some tension or discomfort.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all, just a…small civil matter. Bureaucrats, you know.”

“Right, of course.” Seonghwa murmured, faking a soft laugh.

“There’s no reason to delay any longer.” Kai said, clearing his throat loudly and turning to the android nearest them. “Shall we get started?”

The android strode over with a strange device a bit larger than a tablet, though it had no screen. Instead, it had a divot for someone to place their hand. Their  _ left  _ hand.

Apparently some traditions were universal, all across the universe.

“Will you be first, Lord Kai?” The android asked.

“Yes, thank you.” Kai answered, inclining his head. “I, Kai Aris, take Seonghwa Park to be my legal partner. I enter into this union of sound mind and of my own volition.”

The android raised the device, and Kai slid his left hand into the divot. A small metal latch opened next to the ring finger and slid over it, beginning to etch a pattern into his skin with the same faint glow as Seonghwa’s mark of Nobility. 

It took over a full minute, but eventually, the device finished. Kai pulled away, displaying his hand to the witnesses present. The pattern was linked in a perfect circle, a series of intricate lines not unlike a celtic knot.

He looked to Seonghwa, smirking. “Your turn.”

Seonghwa felt his heart drop into his stomach. He had no idea what he was getting into, and there was an inkling in the back of his mind warning him that something was  _ wrong. _

In that moment, the ship trembled, calling Seonghwa’s attention to the windows. Light was dancing across them, but he couldn’t see the source. It must have been behind the ship.

“Is something going on?” He asked.

Kai coughed, shaking his head. “No, nothing. If His Majesty would…”

He motioned toward the device in the android’s grip suggestively.

Seonghwa came to a decision.

He decided he was going to stall for time.

He didn’t know why Kai was in such a rush…if perhaps the Servo had caught up to him, or if he had a limited window to file the necessary paperwork, but it felt like a warning. An omen.

Seonghwa wasn’t going to ignore it.

“Actually, I’d like to see the documents this bond is in connection with, first.” Seonghwa told him in a cordial tone. “Otherwise, I can’t fully understand the union.”

“I can get you a full copy after all of the logistics are taken care of.” Kai assured.

“Well I’d…like to read them now, at least enough to understand the gist.” Seonghwa explained.

“It—it truly is imperative that we finalize the ceremony as quickly as possible.” Kai said, his words a bit rushed. “The…legal droids are…on loan, and must return to the administrative center on Crescent within the hour. They only come by appointment.”

“Don’t worry, I read quickly.” Seonghwa replied, grinning at him in a way that surely didn’t meet his eyes.

Kai cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing over to the nearest android. “The…ah, the documents, we’ll need a copy. Now.”

“Of course.” The android said, bowing and going to retrieve something. He returned with a metal device not unlike a complex tablet, the screen displaying a hologram copy of the legal document. “The Agreement of Union can be found here. We will proceed with the binding ceremony on your word.”

“Thank you.” Seonghwa and Kai said at the same time, though the latter sounded entirely disingenuous.

Seonghwa sat down, and started to read.

After a few minutes, Kai began to get nervous. Jittery. Tense. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet as though trying desperately not to pace. The android from before hadn’t moved, still holding that device in his hands, waiting, as if completely unbothered by the delay.

Kai was impatient enough for the both of them.

“Is His Majesty satisfied?” He asked, once Seonghwa had read through several pages.

“I’m not sure, actually. This clause here, in subsection A…”

He stopped talking when the entire ship jolted, causing everyone in the room, even the androids, to sway on their feet.

Seonghwa bolted up from his chair.

“What was that? Is something wrong?” He asked, looking toward the windows again. The lights dancing across the glass had grown more intense. The ship trembled again.

Kai didn’t answer. Instead he scowled, grabbing Seonghwa’s wrist and pressing his hand into the binding device, holding it there while it activated.

“N-no…no!” Seonghwa cried out, trying to wrench his hand away. But Kai’s grip held firm, and the device began etching the mark into the skin of his ring finger.

The androids didn’t react. Ten stood there, unmoving, his expression impassive.

They were more than happy to look the other way while Kai did whatever the hell he wanted.

***

Hongjoong and Jongho waited thirty more seconds for a response. In the silence of space, it felt like a lifetime.

Eventually, the panels along the bottom edge of Lord Kai’s clipper slid open, allowing thousands of metal devices to pour out into the area.

_ “Warhammers are launching.”  _ Heize warned over the communications array.

Hongjoong rolled his shoulders.

Warhammers were not manned. They were not armed.

Warhammers were kinetic devices which reacted in tandem with each other, creating a defensive blockade between them and whatever it was they were programmed to guard. They floated in perfectly symmetrical rows, moving in designated blocks like soldiers in battalions, but with a certain precision which could only be executed by machines. On their own, they weren’t all that impressive. But their strength lay in their coordination in numbers. The damage they could do when grouped up was devastating.

“Here we go.” Jongho said, gritting his jaw.

Hongjoong activated his cutter’s blast cannon, ripping through the line of warhammers directly in front of them. They burst apart, then began to circulate around the area to fill the void. He blasted them again.

“Let’s hit it!” Hongjoong crowed, punching the ignition.

Jongho followed suit, both of their ships slicing through the temporary void in their defense.

“Going right!” Hongjoong called, and Jongho kept behind him, knowing he’d seen their best chance of an opening there.

The warhammers surged in to meet them. With no weapons to fire upon the threat, the only recourse was for them to smash themselves into the attacking ships. That was their function.

Hongjoong and Jongho took evasive maneuvers, firing upon the flood of warhammers encroaching on them. They moved too fast for the naked eye…for most humans. But hybrids had heightened senses, and the two of them managed to track the warhammer trajectories, banking off in either direction or blasting through them before they got too close.

Warhammers were machines, though, and eventually, they adapted.

Jongho cursed as one of the sectors got too close and crashed over one of his wings, glancing off the heavily-armed cockpit of his cutter in a shower of sparks. It knocked him into a spiral, the ship’s warning alarms blaring. “Fuck! I’m hit!”

“Covering!” Hongjoong said, banking off just enough to pivot the ship and give Jongho some cover to get control of his momentum again. He was forced to break off when a large swell of warhammers came careening toward him, but he blasted through them before they could damage either ship.

The waves just seemed to keep coming with no end in sight. Another sector surged in to block their way, and it was too many for Hongjoong to get through on his own.

“Where’re you at, Jongho?!”

“At your wingplate!” He answered quickly.

“I got you!” Hongjoong called back, pivoting to line their ships up until they spiraled in tandem, hull to hull.

Their combined firepower shredded through the last line of warhammers and when they blasted through the final line, there was nothing but glorious, open space.

“We’re through!” Hongjoong whooped, though his celebration was cut short when the clipper’s laser cannons locked on and immediately began firing upon them. “Shit…cover me!”

The two banked off toward the bow of the enemy ship, Jongho drawing their fire by moving slightly closer and firing toward the guns.

“I’m tracking the most droid activity here.” Hongjoong said, using his HUD to light up the area on the schematic display near the front of the ship. “At least a dozen guards. He’s gotta be there.”

“Running interference.” Jongho replied, flying upward and firing a charged blast from his cutter’s larger gun. Hongjoong did the same, aiming for the one closest to the room he was seeking: the one with the arching glass panels at the uppermost level of the clipper.

Hongjoong shot past the damaged cannon, and in a moment of desperation, did the only thing he could think to do.

He rammed his cutter into the side of the larger ship, into the metal hull just to the left of the glass atrium. As the automatic defenses triggered to seal the breach to prevent depressurization, he bailed on the cutter, activating his anti-gravity boots and unfurling his wings.

Across the room, the blast had caused everyone to flinch, and Seonghwa finally managed to wrench away from Kai’s grasp in his distraction.

He watched in confusion and curiosity as his would-be savior descended upon the guards like some kind of avenging angel, dispatching them with ease before swooping down and landing in front of Kai, raising his gun to sit level with the man’s face.

Seonghwa gasped when he realized who it was.

“Hongjoong?”

“Well,  _ well, _ my good sir, you are as resourceful as promised.” Kai balked, appearing almost amused despite the imminent threat to his life.

“Was the bond executed?” Hongjoong asked, though it was more of a growl.

Seonghwa stared at his left hand. What little of the mark had appeared rapidly faded away. “No.”

“Once you were bound, he was going to murder you.” Hongjoong said. “He told me right before he threw me out of the airlock.”

“So this was all a lie?” Seonghwa hissed. “Saving your people? Stopping the industry?”

Kai scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Honestly, I don’t believe my father was ever as gorgeous…or as  _ gullible  _ as you are, darling.”

“May I kill him?” Hongjoong snarled, no jest in it at all.

He was waiting for the okay. For the order.

Seonghwa let out a shaky breath, placing his hand over Hongjoong’s gun and forcing him to lower it. “Just get me out of here.”

Hongjoong holstered his weapon, wrapping an arm around Seonghwa’s waist. He never took his eyes off of Kai. “You come near him again and I won’t ask permission first.”

With that, he activated his boots, and with a beat of his wings, they made for the upper levels, where the Servo could extract them.

They didn’t share a single word.

***

Once he was back onboard the Servo ship, Seonghwa was immediately accosted. Captain Eden wanted a detailed report, and Leez insisted on checking over his condition. By the time he was able to return to his designated room, all Seonghwa wanted to do was scrub the last twelve hours from his mind.

He all but tore off his jacket, several of the jewels scattering to the floor in his haste as he ripped at the looped closures haphazardly. He threw it across the room with a subdued whine of frustration and anger and shame.

He wished he could burn it, or launch it out into the void of space. He imagined that would feel cathartic.

Seonghwa went into the washroom, grabbing a rag and wetting it before starting to wipe the makeup off of his face. He walked back into the bedroom, continuing to scrub hard until the rag was red and black and shimmering.

He didn’t feel any better, yet.

Seonghwa startled when the door of his room opened. It was Hongjoong, who looked at him with a pitying expression before letting himself in, the door sliding shut behind him.

“Okay?” He asked gently.

“Been better.” Seonghwa grunted.

“Kai Aris will pay for what he did.” Hongjoong assured. “Captain Eden has already filed—”

“I don’t care.” Seonghwa cut him off, his voice raw.

“Your Majesty—”

“Don’t call me that.” Seonghwa hissed.

Hongjoong let out a slow breath, closing the distance between them. “Listen…about before, on Crescent, I wanted to explain, Your M—”

Seonghwa bristled. “Just  _ stop.” _

“Seonghwa,  _ please!”  _ Hongjoong shouted, desperate. When Seonghwa didn’t protest, just stared at him, wide-eyed, he continued. “I wasn’t…I didn’t mean to  _ use  _ you.”

Hongjoong gingerly took the rag from Seonghwa’s hands, bringing it up to gently wipe away a spot of makeup he’d missed that had smeared across his cheek. Seonghwa stood as still as the grave, just…watching him. 

“That was never my intention. It’s true that I took the job from Kai Aris in the first place to secure pardons for myself and Jongho. And when things went sideways…I didn’t know what the hell to do, so I just did what I thought would keep you safe. Every decision I made was to protect you, because you were swept up in all this against your will but also…” Hongjoong sighed. “You were just…you were so kind and earnest and...you didn’t see me the way other people do. You looked at me like I wasn’t an animal, like I was worthy of respect and trust and I—I was selfish. I wanted it. I wanted to believe that someone like you could feel that way about someone like me.”

“I never thought less of you.” Seonghwa whispered, hoarse. “Even when I believed you didn’t feel the same.”

“I wanted the pardons.” Hongjoong admitted. “But after everything…I would have helped you anyway. I promise.”

“I believe you.” Seonghwa murmured, bringing a hand up to run his fingers gently over the curve of the other’s shoulder. “You moved fast, though, getting your wings back so soon.”

“Knew I’d need ‘em to get you back.” Hongjoong replied. “Worth the agony. Every second of it.”

“They hurt?” Seonghwa asked softly.

“When they were getting reinstalled. Just ‘cause we rushed the implantation. They’re fine now.” Hongjoong assured.

“So you’re not in pain?” Seonghwa confirmed.

Hongjoong shook his head. “Not anymore.”

“Yeah, me either.” Seonghwa whispered, dragging Hongjoong in to kiss him, hard.

Hongjoong went more than willingly, wrapping his arms around Seonghwa like he was afraid he’d be stolen away again. Seonghwa just trilled in delight, deepening the kiss.

They fell together like magnets of opposing polarity, drawn into each others’ orbit with no hope of escape. Nothing in all of space could keep them apart, in that moment. They ended up on the bed again in a way that was so familiar, and yet, had felt worlds away from them just hours before. 

Hongjoong could have thanked every star in the sky that he was allowed this, again.

Seonghwa felt much the same.

It wasn’t quite like coming home, but rather like finding a familiar safe port in the middle of a raging storm. Hongjoong was comfort and safety. Seonghwa depended on him in more ways than he would willingly admit, but right now, he just  _ wanted. _

This time, Hongjoong would savor it.

He took his time, flipping Seonghwa over and opening him up with his tongue before he even bothered to go for the lube or give him his fingers. Seonghwa was trembling and whining beneath him beautifully, fisting the pillows hard as Hongjoong took him apart piece by piece.

By the time Hongjoong was sliding his cock into him, Seonghwa took it like he was made for it, arching his back obscenely and craning his head, glancing over his shoulder to watch. The long line of his neck was too enticing to ignore and Hongjoong leaned over him to latch his teeth over the curve of it, sure to be gentle.

Seonghwa mewled and dropped against the pillows again, reaching back with one hand and groping desperately behind him, like he needed more contact, like what little they had—no matter how significant it was—just wasn’t enough.

He finally got his hand on Hongjoong’s thigh, gripping hard and tugging, like he needed him closer, wanted him harder.

Hongjoong fucked him slow but rough, until he was all but melting into the mattress, a whining, trembling mess. He vaguely realized it was a shame he couldn’t watch him, see that raw ecstasy on his face again.

Seonghwa yelped softly when he was flipped over onto his back, but did not protest in the slightest. He hummed in satisfaction when Hongjoong slid back into him, taking his time building up to that rhythm again. Seonghwa dug his fingertips into his own thighs just for some kind of purchase. He watched the sinuous flex of Hongjoong’s chest and shoulders as he fucked him with purpose and care and maybe a little something else, too.

“Wanna—can I see them again? Y-your wings?” Seonghwa found himself asking, his eyes fluttering a little when Hongjoong snapped his hips just right.

Hongjoong was a little taken aback, but complied. The radius structures tucked against his back rose, allowing the rest of the wing to unfurl in a cascade of feathers. The room was huge, so he let them stretch out to their full span, which was close to twelve feet.

Seonghwa bit his lip. “I could get used to those…”

Hongjoong chuckled softly and rolled his eyes, smirking in amusement and fondness. “Oh yeah?”

Most of the feathers were organic; they were a warm brown color, the same size and shape as a bird of prey, only to scale for a human. Some of them, however, shimmered muted gold, woven with solar technology, among other things.

“You can feel them, right?” Seonghwa asked, hesitantly sinking his hands into the soft down and stroking gently. When Hongjoong nodded, he stroked with a little more fervor. The feathers trembled under his touch. “You can feel this?”

Hongjoong groaned softly, nodding. “Yeah. S’nice.”

A sly grin slowly overtook Seonghwa’s face as he wiggled his hips against Hongjoong’s which had stilled. “I’m not distracting you, am I?”

“Maybe.” Hongjoong admitted, leaning down over him and letting his wings curl over the bed like a canopy of feathers above them. He snapped his hips hard, which earned him a sweet squeal from the man beneath him.

“Nnh—Hongjoong, please…” Seonghwa begged, squeezing at the feathers in his grip once more.

He certainly wasn’t going to deny him.

Hongjoong grabbed Seonghwa’s arms and pinned them to the bed above his head by his wrists, rolling his hips again in a steady cadence. It was far easier without the distraction, and the sweet noises he was pulling from Seonghwa were all the motivation he could have ever needed.

The wings caging them eventually retracted, Hongjoong deactivating them so he could focus all his energy on the man beneath him. He wanted to commit it to memory…the scent of him, the taste, every delicious sound he made—he never wanted to let himself forget. He never wanted to know the feeling of having it ripped away from him again either…he wasn’t sure if he could take it.

Something in Hongjoong’s expression must have given him away, because Seonghwa leaned up until he could kiss him, languid and meaningful more than it was fevered or rushed. Hongjoong melted into it, let the feeling envelop him. He released Seonghwa’s wrists only for the other man to immediately bury his hands in Hongjoong’s hair, dragging him in to deepen the kiss.

His own hands now free to roam, Hongjoong trailed them down over Seonghwa’s chest, fingertips ghosting over his ribcage and eliciting a gorgeous little shiver. He continued downward until he could grip at Seonghwa’s hips, using the leverage to fuck him harder. He could feel the pressure building at the base of his cock and he knew he couldn’t keep this up for much longer before he was going to pop a knot. When a surge of heat crawled up his spine, he knew it wouldn’t be long.

But when Hongjoong made to pull away…Seonghwa whined in protest, locking his ankles behind the small of Hongjoong’s back and dragging him back in. Just like the first time.

This time, though, he knew what he was asking for.

Hongjoong growled, buried himself deep and started to grind his hips hard, latching his teeth over Seonghwa’s neck. When he sunk them in, Seonghwa wailed, shuddered and came between them like it was stolen from him.

A tiny trickle of blood streamed down over Seonghwa’s clavicle and Hongjoong lapped it up greedily with a low groan. It only made Seonghwa’s scent sharper, headier, and it was driving Hongjoong to the edge.

When Seonghwa tightened the grip of his thighs around his waist again and threw his head back with a soft, overwhelmed whine, that was it. Hongjoong shivered and came hard, his knot locking them together as he filled Seonghwa with wave after wave of heat.

The light, satisfied trill Seonghwa let out at that gave Hongjoong far too many inappropriate thoughts, and he did his best to stamp them down. He trailed gentle kisses and nips up along Seonghwa’s neck and jaw as they both came down, settling just beneath his ear to nibble gently at the sensitive skin there.

Seonghwa giggled and squirmed, but they couldn’t move much when Hongjoong’s knot tugged uncomfortably at his rim.

“Mm, sorry, you’re stuck to me for at least the next little while.” Hongjoong reminded him, kissing open-mouthed over the cut of his jaw.

“As intended.” Seonghwa admitted with a satisfied sigh.

“If you were the cuddling type, you just had to ask.” Hongjoong teased, nosing at his neck with a soft laugh.

Seonghwa chuckled quietly, biting his lip. “Turnabout is fair play, I see.”

“Absolutely.” Hongjoong murmured, pressing gentle kisses beneath the other’s jaw again.

Seonghwa let out a long breath of a sigh, letting himself relax and melt into the easy affection, letting himself enjoy this small moment of peace.

“Well, now that you’re back with the Servo and your title has been verified, all of space is open to you.” Hongjoong told him, tracing gentle, nonsensical patterns over Seonghwa’s shoulder with his fingertips. “So…where do you wanna go?”

Seonghwa wasn’t sure why the question blindsided him, but it did.

At every turn, over the last few days, the proverbial rug had been yanked out from under him over and over again. There was still so much that was unresolved. He could not sit by with the knowledge of the heinous actions of the RegeneX industry, but as it was, he had no idea how to even think about stopping it. Hwasa had attempted to kill him more than once before he’d claimed his title, and who knew if she would stop now that he had the protection of it and the Servo.

And then there was the matter of Yunho and Mingi. He hadn’t contacted them for days and they must have been worried sick. He’d have to figure out how to explain where he’d been, what he was doing, and what he  _ would  _ be doing once he got back…because he sure as hell wasn’t going to just sit on the information he had, with all this new power afforded by his title, and simply do nothing with it.

Seonghwa suddenly felt overwhelmed again. He let out a shaky sigh, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes against his best attempt to hold them back. 

“I really just…I just wanna go home…”

“Shh, okay, all right.” Hongjoong soothed, kissing softly over the high curve of Seonghwa’s cheek to chase away the tears. “Don’t worry. You’ll be back on earth before you know it.”

Seonghwa shuddered, nodding.

Everything was a chaotic jumble and he had no idea what to do, but he knew one thing for certain: everything would feel like a whole lot less of a mess once he was back on that little blue planet he called  _ home. _

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me on Twt and CC @VermillionVamp


End file.
